


but we would be hollow

by gaypanic



Series: love isn't brains, it's blood [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fusion, F/F, Heavy Angst, Vampire Slayer!Emma, Vampire!Regina, contains some smut and bloodsucking, emma is 18/19 and regina is '23', no btvs knowledge required
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-03-12 11:37:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 93,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13546539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaypanic/pseuds/gaypanic
Summary: The past six months have been smooth. Emma’s living back with her parents. Regina is supporting herself, no longer relying on a crypt for shelter. Life has reached a pleasant stage of normalcy, but when Emma’s birthday arrives, everything is flipped on its head as an old threat resurfaces with a threat of his own.Rumple plans to bring the Master back.And the cost is higher than anyone can imagine.the second installment oflove isn't brains, it's blood





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, Swen. The sequel to my 2017 SQSN fic, ‘love isn’t brains, it’s blood.’ I want to thank everyone for your love and support of the first one!! I hope you like this one just as much. Like the first, this one is also inspired by Buffy, but it’s a bit more convoluted? It’s kind of wild, and it’s my least favorite of the series so far. I’m going to tell you right now that this is the second installment but not the last. Hopefully you’ll stick with it because I’m excited about where I’m taking it. If you know nothing about Buffy, you won’t be lost, but if you have seen Buffy, I think it would make the journey more interesting, and the end of this one will make more sense to you. (speaking of which, I can’t promise an ending with closure, don’t say I didn’t warn you.) 
> 
> additional warning one: this is very angsty. there will be a happy ending, but I didn't hold back on the angst here. There's a few parts that are close to the non-con line, but I didn't write them crossing that line. However, it's pretty rough regardless, and I didn't want that to go without a warning. Also Killian is a villain in this. You will hate him. Be prepared.
> 
> additional warning two: there’s some kinky stuff that happens in parts of this fic that involve bloodsucking and smut, but if that makes you uncomfortable, you can skip those parts and be fine.
> 
> some parts, prophecies and spells, are borrowed from btvs, so i don't take credit for those
> 
> (if you have any questions feel free to ask me!)
> 
>  [UPDATE]: I aged Emma two years in both installments, so if you read the first one, but not this one, please be aware that the timeline has shifted. As it stands now, Emma was 18 in the last one and turns 19 in this one. This is the same as the original posting except for any parts that discussed or mentioned Emma's age, which shifted slightly to account for the change.
> 
>  
> 
> Finally, and most importantly, I have to give Evie another shoutout for her art for the first one. Since the series name is the same as the first installment, her art is totally relevant for all of them and I will brag every chance I get. [Here’s her art](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11912229) for ‘love isn’t brains, it’s blood’ if you want to admire her talent and shower her with love and appreciation. 
> 
> I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Family was one of those things Regina had always been unsure about. She’d had her fair share of family over the years, from her twisted, soulless, vampire mother to her too old ex-husband, to the former step daughter she sired herself, she more than understood the structure of family, but the loving concept so many seemed to seek out had always been beyond her.

But having a soul was a funny thing. 

Everything felt alive for the first time in Regina’s long life, and feelings she’d long forgotten stirred back up to the surface. Some of them had been expected, but some of them hadn’t. She’d experienced True Love’s Kiss with Emma, so all of the feelings associated with that felt very appropriately placed; however, the father-like acceptance coming from David and August’s brotherly reassurances had caught her off guard. 

For the most part, everyone accepted her as she was, like she was a part of their familial structure no questions asked, and the only thing that was more shocking than that was the realization that she wanted to offer them the same emotions.

After years of feeling like love was a myth, Regina had come to realize that maybe family was something worth holding onto. 

And now that she has, she isn’t planning on letting go.

* * *

 

Regina gets woken up by the smell of blood (pig’s blood to be exact) and she can already tell that Emma’s trying to be as quiet as possible to surprise her with breakfast; however, the blonde’s excitement is giving herself away, and all Regina can hear is the rapid thumping of Emma’s heart.

She rolls over to peek up at her girlfriend, who’s standing nervously with a mug of coffee, grinning down at her. “Morning, Gina.”

The vampire snorts and glances at the clock before burrowing back into her pillow. “Emma, it’s the afternoon. Almost the evening.”

“Yeah, but you just woke up, and that’s what you say when people wake up. It would be weird if I said “good evening, Gina,” wouldn’t it?”

“Sure.” 

After Emma had gone back to school for the spring semester, Regina had taken to sleeping the days away while her girlfriend wasn’t around or when she didn’t have work. She’d moved into Snow’s old place, after David and Snow picked out a place for themselves and Emma, and picked up a job working with David, the new cemetery supervisor of the town’s parks and recreation department. Regina still thinks it’s funny, even though the joke has arguably worn out.

“Anyway,” Emma singsongs, “I brought you something.”

She sets the mug of blood next to the bed before clambering on, not hesitating to snuggle up next to the vampire, leaving a kiss to her neck before travelling up her jaw and finally pressing their lips together. 

Regina moans at the warmth of Emma’s soft mouth on hers, deepening the kiss immediately and whining when Emma pulls away.

“Tease.”

“You love it.”

Regina quirks an eyebrow. “So you think it’s fine to break into my home, invite yourself into my bed, and toy with me as you see fit just because you think I love it?”

Emma grins before kissing her again, “I  _ know _ you love it. Besides, I’m always invited here,  _ and _ I brought you breakfast.”

“ _ Lunch _ ,” Regina corrects.

“Whatever. I brought you a meal.” Emma fidgets with the drawstring of Regina’s (Emma’s) sweatpants, avoiding eye contact. Her heart rate picks up just slightly, and it sets Regina on edge.

“Emma,” she says, taking the blonde’s face in her hand and tilting her chin up to catch her eyes. “Are you okay? You didn’t pass out at school again did you?”

She holds Regina’s gaze for a few beats before shaking her head and tearing her eyes away. “I don’t want you to be disappointed in me,” she starts, carefully choosing her words, “and I don’t want you to tell me we should stop. I don’t want to stop. I like feeding you, but…”

“But it was too much last night, wasn’t it?”

Emma shrugs, “Maybe just a little. I should have said something. I’m sorry. Please don’t be upset with me, and please  _ please _ don’t blame yourself, okay?”

But of course, she wants to blame herself. She thinks she  _ should _ , even if Emma doesn’t. She’s been feeding from her girlfriend since New Years, after Emma had enthusiastically reassured her that it would be  _ fine _ , and as exciting as it is, being given satisfying meals (as well as other kinds of satisfaction, for both her and Emma), she’s always afraid that something will go wrong. 

But her girlfriend trusts her, and Emma wants to feed Regina as much as, if not more, than Regina wants to feed from her. Their relationship has been quite the adventure, as Emma’s kinkiness has little to no limitations, but they had found their lines and were both very careful not to cross them and to speak up if they did.

Regina turns her full attention to Emma, leaning her back on the bed and wrapping her arms around her warm body. “I just hope you’re okay. I’ll cook dinner for you while you get some rest, if you’d like,” she offers, pressing a tender kiss to Emma’s neck. Leaving gentle pecks against such soft skin is Regina’s favorite thing. Contrary to what other people might think, she enjoys kissing Emma’s neck more than biting it. 

She does it several times in succession before letting her lips linger, sucking lightly on a sensitive spot, making the blonde groan and become dead weight on the bed, as if surrendering all hope. “Gina,” she whines, “How am I supposed to rest if you’re doing  _ that _ ? Resting is the last thing I want to do right now.”

Regina smirks as she sits up to drink the blood Emma brought her, leaving her girlfriend a blubbering mess on the bed, “I know, but you need to. If missing out will remind you to speak up next time, then that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

The blonde flops her arms up to let them drop back down loudly on the bed. “We can still have sex without the feeding you know. You don’t have to take  _ everything _ from me.”

Humming into the mug, Regina says, “I did offer to make you dinner you know. I’m not taking away  _ everything. _ ”

“No, just everything that matters,” Emma mumbles.

“It’s for the best, dear.”

“You’re a monster.”

“I’m a vampire, there’s a difference.” At Emma’s irritated and defeated expression, Regina snorts. “We’ll see, okay? Besides, you still have to study for exams before patrol. Probably after too. And since it’s a school night, there’s no way Snow will let you stay over here.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I hate exams. I want it to be summer already.”

“Yeah, so you can go hang out in the beautiful, warm sunlight and leave me to rot alone in this stuffy place?”

“Well, isn’t it better than melting in the heat of the sun?” Regina squints at her girlfriend, debating on pointing out the obvious, but stopping when Emma continues. “I know, I know, you wouldn’t  _ melt _ , you’d  _ pulverize instantaneously _ . Remember, I’m the Slayer, so I’m a vampire expert,” she flashes a proud grin up at Regina.

“Mhmm.”

“I am!” Emma announces, indignant.

“Do your homework,” Regina responds, sipping the pig’s blood from her mug like it’s a nice glass of tea. Emma rolls her eyes and out of bed.

“I’ll be downstairs,” she grumbles with defeat, and Regina smiles behind her. 

Emma’s sitting at the counter that separates Regina’s living room from her kitchen working on homework as Regina cooks her grilled cheese. The vampire turns around every now and then to make sure she’s doing more than just watching her cook, but every time, Emma’s eyes dart down to the book she obviously isn’t reading. 

“If you keep slacking off, I’m gonna throw this grilled cheese in the trash.”

Emma lets out a shocked gasp. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

The blonde is definitely about to challenge her when her phone suddenly rings. She hears a muttered, “You got lucky  _ this time _ , Gina” before Emma answers the phone. “Hey, mom.” Regina smiles to herself at the maternal title she knows her girlfriend loves being able to use after all these years. “Yeah, I’m with her.” The blonde sighs, “Mooom, you know you can just call  _ her _ phone right? Since she’s a civilized person now and actually  _ has  _ a phone.” Regina glares at Emma who just grins at her across the counter, adorable as ever.

Emma sits and listens for a moment, nodding along to words Regina tries not to listen to before saying “okay” a few times followed by a “see you later.” Regina plates Emma’s grilled cheese and looks to her expectantly when she puts the phone down. 

“Yeah, so that was my mom,” Emma starts, taking a bite of grilled cheese. “She wanted to ask you about patrolling this week,” she says through her mouthful of food.

“What about it?” 

“Since I have exams, she doesn’t want me to choose saving the world over homework.” Emma says, rolling her eyes. “So, she wants  _ you and her _ to go instead of  _ me and you _ .”

Regina blinks, shocked. “ _ Just _ me and her?”

“Yeah, why?” Emma questions, more invested in her food than the conversation.

“It’s just… That’s not really something we  _ do. _ You know? Since we’ve been on… speaking terms, if you could even call it that, we don’t interact much, unless you’re there. I think…” Regina takes a deep breath. “I think she still hates me.”

That gets Emma’s attention. “What? Why? No, I don’t think so.  _ She _ has a soul again...  _ You _ have a soul again... You’re my  _ girlfriend _ . What’s not to like?”

“ _ That _ ...” Regina says, her voice low and hesitant. 

“Wait. Regina do you really think--” Emma starts, cutting herself off before she can ask. She watches Emma’s brows wrinkle together as she searches her girlfriend’s eyes for answers until Regina looks away, wishing she hadn’t said anything. The developing relationship between Emma and her mother had been going so great since they were officially (soulfully) reunited, but it was still hard for Regina and Snow. Given their past, yes, but more than anything, Regina believed her relationship with the woman’s daughter was a bigger problem.

After Snow’s soul had been restored, she kept waiting for her memories from that week and a half to resurface, but nothing ever did. Everyone was hesitant to fill her in, ultimately doing so sparingly, need-to-know information only, including but not limited to Emma and Regina’s True Love’s Kiss that literally restored souls and saved lives.

Needless to say, Snow was shocked when she found out they were dating. Regina’s sure she still is. From the way she turns away when Emma and Regina are near each other, to the way she finds an excuse to leave any time the other vampire is the only one left in the room, Regina has been insecure about where the woman’s feelings about her lie, and she’s been too focused on ensuring Emma’s happiness to bring it up. 

But suddenly Snow wants the two of them patrol together,  _ alone _ , bringing about their first one-on-one interaction in  _ years _ , and Regina is  _ stunned _ .

A warm hand against her back brings her out of her stupor, and the vampire jumps slightly and turns to see Emma, eyes full of concern. “Regina?”

“Sorry,” she shakes her head. “I shouldn’t bring it up. I know this is a touchy subject for us, which I suppose is why we never talk about it.”

“Regina, this is something you clearly want to talk about, and I do too. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” The vampire nods, looking into Emma’s wide, green eyes. “Good. Do you want to talk now before we go over there?” 

Regina shrugs, looking away. With a reassuring smile, Emma leads her to the couch, wrapping her arms around her, reversing the position they usually take. Regina leans into the blonde’s embrace, grateful that Emma never thinks she looks weak. 

“Is this about her memories being gone? And because she only remembers bad stuff about you and not you fighting on our side and being there for me? Cause you know she’s seen all of that since…”

“I know, it’s just…” Regina trails off. “Maybe I should talk to her about it. But it’s touchy for her too, even more than it is for me. I doubt she’d want to talk to me. There’s so much she doesn’t know. Not to mention the last conversation she remembers having with me… wasn’t pleasant…” Regina trails off, not wanting to bring up the past, much less her girlfriend’s kidnapping.

Emma shrugs, “Maybe that’s why she wants to patrol, just the two of you. Tonight might be a good chance to talk to her. If she was uncomfortable with it, she’d go patrolling with Ruby, or she’d ask Ruby to go with you, since she can control her transformation now and everything. Or maybe David, cause  _ he _ doesn’t have exams… But she didn’t, she asked you.” 

The vampire nods in response.  _ She has a point… _

“You have some time to think about it.” Regina sighs, leaning further into Emma’s embrace and letting the moment pass. “Besides, we don’t have to go over there right now…” Emma basically purrs, sliding her hands under Regina’s shirt to stroke soft circles against her skin. Regina allows herself to sink further into Emma, turning her head enough to capture soft, pink lips with her own. 

Emma responds immediately, too enthusiastically, and Regina chuckles before she pulls away, and her girlfriend groans in defeat. “You’re sneaky, Slayer. But that’s not enough to trick me.” She winks as she climbs off the couch and walks back to the kitchen, leaving Emma a blubbering mess once again.

“Gina, whyyyy,” Emma whines after her. 

The vampire smirks to herself, satisfied. “You have studying to do. We’re leaving for your house in half an hour.”

When it isn’t dark enough to leave in her promised half an hour, Emma laughs at Regina. “If only we had  _ some way _ to pass the time,” the blonde says as she refuses to so much as brush her arm against Regina’s. If the vampire didn’t have a soul, she might have rolled her eyes and moved on, but instead she was  _ pouting _ , staring at the window, open just enough for her to watch the sunlight disappear, willing it to speed up while Emma blabbers on about karma.

They only leave about twenty minutes later than they originally planned to, but it’s enough time for Emma to study more and for Regina to think about how she’s going to talk to Snow.

She thinks some extra time will be helpful to her, but by the time the two of them are at Emma’s house, she’s still at a loss. 

Then when Snow and Regina are making their way to the graveyard, she still hasn’t figured it out. 

All she can do now is hope that she hasn’t spent so much time around Emma that she’s picked up her tendency to word vomit whenever she’s at a loss for words in an awkward situation. 

However, she doesn’t have to worry for long because Snow is the first to speak.

“I know we haven’t talked, and I just want to apologize. I haven’t meant to be impolite, but I’m not sure how ready I am for everything our inevitable conversation entails. But I want you to know that I’m open to having a discussion sometime soon. I’m hoping we can be… okay,” she finishes lamely, stopping and turning towards Regina, seeking her eyes for confirmation. 

The vampire nods, “Of course. I feel the same.” Snow gives her a small smile before resuming the walk.

It’s a small start, but it’s _a_ _start_. 

During patrol, they don’t talk much. They’re civil to each other, (though the same can’t be said for the vampires that cross their path), and on the walk back, Snow looks to Regina, trying for small talk. “Has Emma been studying? I know she’s been staying over there a lot after school, and I’m not saying I don’t trust you… I just…” she trails off. “I just worry about her.”

“No, I understand,” Regina says softly. She debates telling Snow that she understands the trust issue, whether Snow finds it a problem or not, but she decides against it. “She’s been studying,” she reassures her.

Snow nods, and the rest of the walk is made in silence.

The house is just as quiet when they get back, with David still asleep and Emma ( _ hopefully _ ) studying, so Regina goes ahead and makes herself comfortable on the couch while Snow looks for ways to busy herself.

Regina watches her bustle around in the kitchen for a few minutes before taking a few steps towards the living area only to retreat and repeat the process. This goes on a few times, but it’s honestly stressing Regina out, and she hopes when she interrupts the nervous routine with a sharp “Mary Margaret” that it doesn’t come out as harsh as she thinks it did. The apologetic look she gets puts her at ease. “What’s wrong?”

The vampire looks like she wants to talk but is thinking better of it, and Regina’s about to shrug it off and tell her that it’s fine when Snow abruptly speaks up. “I, uh-- I wondered if I could ask you something?”

“Sure...” Regina says hesitantly.

“I don’t really remember much about not having a soul. Just the beginning when it was ripped away, and the start of the emptiness. I want my memories back, but I’m afraid that getting them back will remind me of that void. That the way the absence felt will haunt me. I was wondering…” Snow takes a deep breath. “How are you handling balancing it? Suddenly having everything back after having nothing for so many years?”

Regina winces slightly at Snow’s choice of words, but it isn’t untrue. She thinks for just a moment before answering, trying to be concise and accurate, while trying to avoid making the woman apprehensive. “When I lost my soul, it was during my sire, which, as you know is a chaotic experience, already full of change.” Snow nods, eyes downcast. “When that was over, I could  _ remember _ feeling, but there was nothing left. A void is a good way to describe it. I didn’t care about anything.”

Regina breathes in and then out. It’s shaky, and she knows Snow can tell. Her barely there heartbeat feels like it’s throbbing against her ribcage as she speaks again. “When I… when I fell for Emma, everything changed. It was still a void, but there was a small light there, like a glimmer. It helped to ease me back into it. Even so, there are times where it feels like my chest is exploding. I feel so much that sometimes that I just cry. The emotions feels out of my control, but I think it’s good. I’ve missed feelings in general, but some of them are very intense. More difficult to handle. It’s hard to think back to when I didn’t have a soul, to remember the emptiness, and stay level headed.”

The sound of Emma’s door opening upstairs makes Snow step away from Regina ever so slightly, and Regina pauses, looking in time to see Emma beaming at her as she makes her way down the stairs and skips towards the couch, curling up next to Regina’s side. “Hi,” she grins, draping an arm over Regina’s stomach and tucking her legs up. 

The vampire smiles back at her before leaving a kiss against her cheek, unable to resist. She glances at Snow, watching them with a distant and conflicted smile, and Regina isn’t sure, but she thinks it’s the first time she’s visibly affirmed their relationship since the initial True Love’s Kiss that brought her back to them.

Emma rests her head on Regina’s shoulder, snuggling in. “Hey mom, how was patrol?”

“It was fine. How was studying?”

“Ugh. I wish I could have gone with you guys. Slaying vampires is my birthright, you know.”

“As your mother  _ and _ your Watcher, I make the rules.”

“Fine, I guess you have a point. A little one,” she laughs. Snow laughs with her, but it’s clear that the soul stuff is weighing heavy on her mind. “What are you guys up to now?”

“Just talking,” Snow says, answering too fast.

“Oh?” Emma sits up, looking between her girlfriend and her mother, eyebrows raised way up high. “Should I leave?”

“No,” Snow says. “I’m about to head to bed anyway. Please get some sleep?” She raises her eyebrows at them both as she walks towards her room.

“Wait,” Emma says, too excited. “Does this mean Regina can stay tonight?”

Snow stops and looks at her for a long moment, and Regina can almost feel the unspoken  _ no _ in the air. So when she finally gives a tight smile and nods, Regina has to stop her jaw from hitting the floor. Emma squeals as Snow disappears into her room, and all Regina can do is stare after her slack-jawed. 

Before they had this place and David was able to adopt Emma, Regina stayed in Marco’s house with Emma, and no one said anything. It seemed safe to assume that their relationship bended a lot of rules, as well as the laws of nature and time, but now that Emma lived under the same roof as her parents who provided Regina with her own home that wasn’t a crypt, everything changed.

It made sense that there were more rules though. David and Mary Margaret were raising their daughter as actual parents, not treating her like their friend. Just because Emma is the Slayer, doesn’t mean she’s able to wiggle her way out of the everyday expectations and rules that any parent has for their daughter. She couldn’t have her girlfriend spending the night, and she couldn’t be out past a certain hour on school nights.

Regina knew that it bothered Emma, suddenly being restricted in ways that her foster families hadn’t always taken to, but she also could see that her girlfriend loved the whole  _ parents _ thing despite it all. “They  _ care, _ ” she had said one night right after she’d fought with them about Regina staying over and lost. She smiled after the fight, kissing Regina goodnight and making her promise to text when she got home.

On some weekends, Emma is allowed to stay with Regina, but it had never happened the other way around, certainly not on a school night. Like the vampires’ one on one patrol, this was a first. 

Regina hardly has time to recover from her shock when Emma starts tugging her off the couch and upstairs to her room, squealing softly. “Emma, maybe you won’t wake up your father, but you know your mother’s hearing. It’s probably best to not make such high pitched noises,” she suggests with a roll of her eyes.

“She’s a vampire, not a bat. Besides, I’m just so excited. I love sleeping with you!” Regina’s eyes widen and she feels her cheeks start to warm. Blushing is something she isn’t sure she’ll ever get used to.

“Emma, your mom--”

“--doesn’t care,” Emma finishes as she walks through her bedroom door. “If she heard me, she knows what I mean. Plus, I talk about cuddling with you all the time.”

The vampire’s eyes widen even more. “You do not.”

“Yes, I do.” Her girlfriend glides across her room, taking Regina’s hands and tugging her closer until their bodies are flush together. Green eyes practically glow with joy as they meet the vampire’s, and the affection is so clear in Emma’s smile that Regina finds herself blushing again and sheepishly tearing her eyes away. Emma’s soft lips press to her cheek before hovering just next to her ear. “I love when you do that.”

“What? Blush?” Regina starts to laugh but her breath hitches when Emma’s breath tickles her ear, followed by a soft nip at her earlobe.

“Yes.” And if Emma weren’t speaking right into her ear, she wouldn’t be able to hear her over the sound of the blonde’s arousal, which, as usual, is doing wonders for her own.

“You know…” She tries to keep her voice level, but it comes out low. She feels Emma smirking against the flesh of her neck as she trails kisses just below her jawline, threading a hand through her hair at the base of her skull for traction. “I didn’t know I could blush until I met you.”

“Mmm, is that so?” Emma’s voice rumbles against her neck, and Regina actually shivers in response. She feels the blonde laugh out a wispy breath as her other hand snakes under the back of Regina’s shirt to the smooth expanse of skin.

The vampire groans as she pushes Emma back, both hands on her hips. “Emma, no. We can’t. Not tonight.”

“Why not?” Emma pulls back with a pout. “We can be quiet.”

Regina snorts. “Snow wants to give me a chance. I can’t jeopardize that by fucking her daughter the first night she lets me stay the night in her home.”

“Okay,” Emma sighs. “But you owe me.”

“Trust me. I’ll make it up to you,” she says before pulling Emma back in for a kiss, her lips lingering longer than she thinks is okay for both of them in their current state.

Surprisingly, the blonde is the first to pull away, eyes shining at her again. “I know you will. C’mon, let’s get ready so we can cuddle.

They sneak glances at each other as they change, staying a safe distance away, and Regina’s already in bed by the time Emma’s gone to the bathroom. She’s slept in Emma’s bed before, sneaking in sometimes during the day just because she misses her, or napping while Emma does homework, but it’s wonderful every time. She’s embarrassed about how sappy it is, but knowing what she was missing all those years without a soul, she wouldn’t trade this for anything.

When Emma walks in and sees Regina curled up in her bed and wearing her pajamas, she manages to grin even wider while she runs and jumps in next to her. The vampire rolls her eyes, but smiles back at her girlfriend. “Some things never change.”

“Like you’d want them to,” Emma scoffs playfully as she curls up next to the vampire, draping one leg over Regina’s and resting one hand on her stomach, absentmindedly drawing shapes while she burrows into Regina’s hair.

Emma readjusts so that Regina can loop an arm underneath her, another over, sighing contentedly when they’re both comfortably wrapped up with the other. “I’m glad we finally made it here,” Regina admits, remembering the initial times they shared a bed, too afraid to be too close and cross a line, and too afraid to acknowledge that they felt anything.

“Me too. Did you know? Then?”

“Know what?”

“How I felt. I mean, you could hear everything, right? When my heart rate would pick up, or it would skip altogether? Or when I was… you know.” She can feel Emma’s blush burning against her shoulder, and she smirks.

“I always found a way to rationalize it all as something else. I never thought you would feel the way you do about me. Though, I have to admit, I used to listen to your heartbeat. It was… soothing. I guess you could say it was kind of like my lullaby.”

Emma smiles, placing a delicate kiss to Regina’s collarbone, and the vampire responds by placing a kiss on Emma’s head. “What about the other stuff?”

“What other stuff?”

“You know…” Emma laughs, “The blood flow. The sexy kind. How did you rationalize that?”

Regina just laughs, _ like that needs an answer _ .

Emma snorts, “You’re one to talk.”

They fall into silence and the blonde’s breathing seems to even out. She’s about to whisper a final “goodnight” when Emma surprises her by speaking once again. “Hey, Regina?”

“Yes, my love?”

The Slayer’s heart rate picks up, and Regina lightly strokes her fingers up and down her arm, listening for it to slow and even back out.

“Emma, you can tell me anything,” she whispers, hoping the verbal comfort will bring the blonde back to ease.

It works because Emma sighs before abruptly saying, “I’m scared about not having a soul.”

The comment catches Regina off guard. “What?”

“I mean, not specifically  _ me _ not having a soul, though I’m pretty scared of that too. But I mean, in general. Not having a soul sounds scary. And it made my mom evil, and I don’t think it made  _ you  _ evil, and I loved you before too, but you’re so much softer and happier now that it makes me scared of what it felt like.” She takes another deep breath. “ _ I don’t want anyone to lose any more souls _ .”

“Oh, Emma,” Regina turns, adjusting their positions so they’re lying on the bed facing each other, only inches apart. She tilts up Emma’s head to look into her bright green eyes. “There’s nothing to be scared of. Your mom and I have ours back, likely for good, and we’re okay. Better for it.”

Emma nods, shifting her eyes away briefly before looking back. Opening her mouth and closing it again, an almost embarrassed blush spreading up her cheeks.

“What is it?”

“Was it bad? Not having a soul?”

Regina blinks, her brow creasing, “Why do you ask?” Emma’s never asked her about it, has always actively avoided the topic, but suddenly it seems like everything. “What are you thinking about?” She moves a loose strand of blonde hair out of Emma’s face, fingertips brushing the curve of her earlobe.

“Do you still think about it? Or miss it?”

“What, not having a soul?” Emma gives a small nod of affirmation. “No, I never miss it. But I do think about it. Comparing then to now, remembering loving you without a soul and how I never imagined it could feel so big, but then you kissed me and suddenly it was.” Regina looks away, wondering how much she should share, especially if Emma is afraid. But they promise each other to always be open, so she continues. 

“Sometimes I think about it without you being a part of my life. Everything was dark, all the time. From the minute my mother sired me to the minute I met you, it was like a pit. You were the only light I ever found. I loved that you were my only light, but now, everything is a light, and you are the brightest. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Emma smiles back at her, but something still remains under the surface bothering her. Regina doesn’t want to push, but she wants her girlfriend to be worry-free. She seems to sense it because she buries her face into the pillow with a roll of her eyes, mumbling “you know everything” before turning back. “Your mother didn’t have a soul, right? When she was human? How is that possible? Do you think… I don’t want--” Regina leans forward, silencing Emma with a kiss. “Sorry, I’m just afraid.”

“Of losing your soul?”

“Is that ridiculous?”

Regina smiles at her girlfriend, “I think it’s unlikely. You’re very strong, Emma. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, okay?”

“What about you? And your soul?”

“I think I’m safe, with you here protecting me.” And finally Emma smiles again, her worries clearly at ease. She inches closer to Regina and brings their lips together again before wrapping herself back around the vampire while Regina does the same. “I’ll protect you too,” she whispers against Emma’s temple.

“I know you will.”

* * *

 

Regina wakes up first, curled in Emma’s warm embrace and completely uninterested in leaving anytime soon. Unfortunately, if she wants to make it to work alive, or  _ well, undead _ , she needs to leave before the sun comes up.

There’s a soft tapping on the door before it gets pushed open, and Regina panics, wondering if she should roll away from Emma, wake her up, or pretend to be asleep. She ends up doing the latter, pretending as if Snow’s appearance in the room is what roused her. She looks at the other vampire and can’t tell if she’s smiling or grimacing, but she doesn’t hear all the blood draining from Snow’s pale face, so she takes it as a good sign.

“Morning, Regina, sorry to wake you up, but I was wondering if you wanted to a ride to work? I wanted to check in before…” she gestures at the open window. “You know… Anyway, I made coffee, by the way, if you’d like some.”

“Thanks,” Regina says, prying herself gently from Emma, who grumbles in her sleep as her arms follow the brunette out of bed. “Emma, go back to sleep. You need it,” she whispers before she wraps the blankets tight over her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her forehead, forgetting Snow was still there. She stands and faces her, fidgeting nervously.

Snow blinks after a moment and shakes her head, “Uh, I’ll be downstairs.”

“Okay,” Regina nods, moving to get herself ready and making sure Emma missed the whole awkward exchange.

When she makes it downstairs, Snow has already poured her a mug of coffee. “You still like it black, right? That’s what Emma tells me. Because the two of you take your coffee very differently,” Snow chuckles, taking a sip of her equally as black coffee. “I don’t know why she doesn’t just drink milk. Does she even like coffee? The flavor, I mean?”

Regina shrugs, “She says it’s too bitter for her. She really likes sweet things, which makes sense because of--” She cuts herself off so fast she nearly bites her own tongue off. What she was  _ going  _ to say is  _ because of how she tastes _ , but she’s talking to Emma’s  _ mother _ and of all the things they can talk about, the taste of Emma’s blood isn’t one of them. “Because of… how cute she is,” Regina finishes, a failed attempt at sparing her mortification.

She glances up at Snow who looks away with wide eyes, and Regina almost groans out loud because  _ of course  _ she knows what she was starting to say. The woman clears her throat. “You both looked quite cute together this morning.” It’s a smoother change of subject than Regina would have come up with.

“Thank you,” she responds quickly. “And thank you for letting me stay over.”

Snow gives her a tight smile. She opens her mouth to respond, with what, Regina can’t imagine, but then David bursts in, sporting that infectious smile he and his daughter share. “Morning, Regina. Will you be ready soon?”

She nods, looking away from Snow. “Yes, I’m ready now.”

“Let’s roll out!”

* * *

 

Work is the worst.

Regina went years, decades even, without a job. And sure, she had to live in a crypt for most of it,  _ and _ had to kill people for blood,  _ and _ steal leather pants and bras and a few other things, but she lived for the stealing too. She was  _ evil _ for fuck’s sake.

And now?

Now she’s in a basement office of city hall filing paperwork about deaths and funeral arrangements for the city. She’s making good money doing it, but she’d really rather be anywhere else. Like back in bed with Emma.

Every now and then, David comes down to visit her and check in, and Regina will never tell anyone that his visits are the highlight of her work day. Today he comes in at the usual time, on his lunch break, with his own lunch and a travel mug for Regina she can only assume contains pig’s blood or coffee. Honestly, she would accept either.

“Hey Regina, do you know why the vampire didn’t attack Taylor Swift?”

She rolls her eyes, taking the mug from him. “Why?”

“‘Cause she had  _ Bad Blood _ ! Get it?” He’s laughing so much that Regina can’t help but laugh along with him, if anything just to humor him.

“You’re very funny, David.” He grins triumphantly as he takes a seat opposite her desk. She sips from the mug. It’s coffee. “So what brings you down to my depressing office? You’re not sick of it by now?”

He winces a little, “Sorry it’s so awful down here. The rest of the options were very… bright. It would have been difficult.”

“Are you sure you didn’t want me working in what is essentially a closet just because I’m dating your daughter?” Regina quirks her eyebrow in jest, but when David’s eyes go wide and his jaw goes slack, the vampire realizes her joke didn’t exactly take. She laughs, but the man’s face doesn’t relax until she reassures him with a “David, I was joking.”

He laughs after a beat. “We have very different senses of humor, don’t we?”

“Or maybe I shouldn’t make jokes like that.”

His eyes look serious for a moment, and she can see the “maybe” in his eyes before he says, “It’s okay, Regina. We’re friends, right?”

She nods, “Sure. We’re friends.”

“I trust you, and I know you have Emma’s best interests in mind, probably more so than she does herself. You don’t have to worry about me.” The addition of  _ Snow needs some time _ is evident but unspoken (it’s so clear where Emma gets her lack of subtlety from), but Regina doesn’t acknowledge it.

“Thank you, David. For your words and for the coffee.”

He gives her another smile before resuming his lunch in silence. Most of their interactions go this way, just being each other’s silent company. Regina has learned that David appreciates the silence in all the ways where it usually makes people uncomfortable. He’s content just existing with another person, and that’s what Regina likes the most about him. Snow and he complement each other nicely in that way.

When he finishes eating, he gathers his things. “I’ll see you later?”

Regina nods at him with a tight smile, wondering if she and Snow will be patrolling again one-on-one tonight too, or if anyone else will be joining them. She’s brought out of her stressful thoughts by David at the door.

He says it so softly that she almost wonders if she mishears him, but his eyes crinkle in that comforting way, and she knows she isn’t imagining things.

“She’ll come around.”

* * *

 

Regina is usually off work when it’s still early, and she sure as hell doesn’t want to wait for it to get dark to leave, so she has to sneak around to get back home, or anywhere. City Hall is closer to the school than to her place, only by a little, but she doesn’t usually go there, mostly because it would leave her hanging out in the library with Snow; however, today she’s feeling very bold and just a little bit lazy, so instead of wearing her giant raincoat and speed walking down the street like a madwoman, she ducks into a door in City Hall’s basement that can get her to the basement of Storybrooke High if she tries hard enough.

After a dark and tunnelled walk, she’s exiting the school’s basement door and trying to look like she belongs as people mingle in the hallways. A few people give her weird looks, but more often than not, she thinks she’s successful. Especially when a familiar voice calls for her from behind.

“REGINAAA!” 

The vampire turns around, with a roll of her eyes and a smile on her face, “August, do you really need to be so loud?”

He grins, “Sure, I do. Just wait, if I’m loud enough, your girl will appear.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Maybe you’re not, but I am.”

“You’re overconfident is what you are,” Regina points out.

August just shrugs. “So apparently none of us get to patrol until exams are over. It’s just you and Snow and David for now.”

“So much for rotating patrols…”

“Well, really it’ll be even better after exams are over, if you think about it. Because we can all go in different teams every night, to different graveyards, rather than just different groups on different nights to a couple of graveyards. We’ll be unstoppable.”

Suddenly there’s another voice coming towards them, “August, stop being so cocky.”

“You’re cocky,” August retorts to Neal who just laughs, unaffected.

“You wish.”

“Bite me.”

“Nah, that’s her job.”

“You boys are childish,” Regina wrinkles her nose excessively as if to indicate distaste, but really it’s just to cover up her smile at their antics.

August snorts, “Regina, your girlfriend is more immature than most of the people that go to school here.” The vampire snorts but denies nothing. “So what are you doing here? Are you here to see Emma?”

“No, I just got off work, and I decided to come here and wait out the daylight,” Regina explains with a shrug. “It’s easier to get here than to get to my place, and it’s not as lonely here.”

“Soooo, you’re gonna hang out in the library?” Neal asks her, rocking on the balls of his feet. August shoots him a look. “What? I want her to hang out with Snow. I think it’d be good for them. Like the patrol schedule for the week.”

Regina sighs with relief when the bell rings, calling them away from the awkward conversation they somehow ended up in. She takes advantage of the groans they let out to step away, “Good luck on your next exam! I’ll see you later!”

They both mumble goodbyes as they walk away, and Regina can’t help but grin as she makes her way to the library, feeling much more at ease about seeing Snow. Maybe they both just needed an extra push to bring them together. Hopefully it wouldn’t take something tragic.

She smiles when she walks into the library. It always makes her feel nostalgic, thinking back to the time she spent with Emma and the others in here back before Christmas. Since Snow got her job back, she’s missed it, having spent less time in here due to the apparent strain on her relationship with Snow.

“Regina?” 

“Hey, Snow. Is it okay if I hang out here?”

“Of course.” They stand awkwardly for a minute. “So, how was work?”

“Fine.” Another beat passes. “What about you?”

“It’s going. I don’t have much to do during exams, but the library is usually busier, as people check out more books for term papers.” Regina looks at the empty room around her with a quirk of her eyebrow. Snow sighs, “I did say  _ usually _ . Anyway, the exam schedule is weird, so everyone is in an exam right now. We probably won’t see another student until the end of the day when the last exam lets out.”

“Well… is there anything I can help you with?” Regina offers, feeling weird just standing there. Hanging out in the library was a good idea in theory, but now that she’s here, she’s not sure what she’s to do. “Shelve books? Dust? Do research? I don’t know.” She flaps her hands uselessly at her sides.

Snow smiles, “If you want to help me put books away, that would be nice.”

So she does. It’s not as boring or as awkward as she expects it to be, and she’s surprised to find that, like David, Snow doesn’t mind the silence either. She expected her to feel obligated to fill it with uncomfortable small talk, but that doesn’t happen. 

She considers that maybe Snow is just unwilling to talk to her, but the woman is working with a distant smile on her face that she sometimes spares for Regina. If she had any doubts in the developments in their relationship, she doesn’t anymore. 

She’s startled when there’s a sudden squeal behind her, and she’s being knocked backwards as she turns around in time to see a wave of blonde. “Gina! You’re here! Holy shit, you  _ never _ come here. This is the best surprise ever!” She smiles at her hyperactive girlfriend who takes the opportunity to lean forward and bring their lips together. Regina stiffly reciprocates, too aware of the librarian’s presence, but she melts into the kiss when she feels Emma smiling against her.

Emma’s grinning when she pulls away. She glances towards Snow with a quick “hi, Mom!” before looking back to Regina. “I loved the cute note you left me this morning.”

“Cute note, huh?” Snow asks from across the library. “I never took you as the romantic type, Regina.” She grins and wiggles her eyebrows just enough to reassure the vampire that she’s joking before she ducks into her office. 

Regina turns back to Emma. “Yes, well, I had the opportunity. Already being in your house and all.”

“I love you too, by the way,” Emma says, stealing another kiss. “So what are you  _ actually _ doing here? Unless you’re really here to surprise me. You know, to walk me home in the sunlight, carry my books for me,” Emma winks.

“You’re right, babe, I’m going to carry your books into the sunlight so you can watch me turn to dust and then blow my ashes off the covers.”

“Wow, someone’s sassy today. I like it.”

Regina rolls her eyes, trying to keep a straight face, but Emma is too cute and she gives in to take her hands and smile at her, which only makes her brighter and happier and  _ cuter _ and Regina just  _ has  _ to kiss her again. “I’ll walk you home if you’d like, and I’ll even carry your books for you, but that means you have to take a seat and study until the sun goes down.”

The blonde’s lip curls in distaste. “Fine. But if I’m gonna sit here and study, I’m gonna pick you out a book to read, and you have to read whatever I pick.” 

Regina immediately regrets her decision. Emma picks  _ The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction _ , which might be the least relevant book to her life that Regina’s ever seen, but she reads it and acts like it’s the most interesting thing, just to annoy Emma, who gives up wanting her girlfriend to suffer alongside her and lets Regina read whatever she wants until it’s dark enough for them to walk, risk free.

Snow had gone ahead of them, not willing to sit around in the library with nothing to do when she could be hanging out with David, so she’s waiting for them when they get back to Emma’s. The blonde begs her mom to let her patrol with them almost the minute they’re through the door. (“ _ Mom, seriously, I’ve studied. Besides, I’m eighteen. I could just… go anyway. _ ”) With Regina’s reassurances that she had, in fact, studied for her exams, Snow agrees with a loud sigh.

This was how the rest of their week went, and it was almost perfect, though Regina had not been invited to stay the night again. Emma needed to focus more on getting sleep because she needed to ace all her exams. 

Emma had started to complain about it, but Regina silenced her with a look, reminding her when Snow had left the room that it all would be worth it once she survived exam week. 

As a compromise for forfeiting a lot of quality time with Regina, Snow agreed to let Emma stay at the vampire’s place the entire weekend after exams, an agreement that had Emma smiling for at least an hour straight and then sending Regina smiley emojis for an hour after she left.  _ You’re weird, but I love you _ , she responds, anxiously awaiting the next day.

When it finally arrives, and Regina makes it out of work, she goes home, rather than to the school, seeing as Emma will be finished  _ finished _ with the school year. She takes a nap to pass the time, waking up to Emma diving on top of her and crawling into bed with her.

“Are we taking a nap?”

The vampire grumbles into the pillow, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but  _ I’m _ taking a nap.”

“You’re such a smart ass, Regina. But I’m still gonna nap with you anyway, you know why?”

“Because you can?”

“Because I can!” Emma grins. “Thank god it’s finally summer. I’d say I’m excited to patrol tonight, but we aren’t even going.”

“No?” Regina asks. If anything different was happening, she knew nothing of it. “Who’s going then? If not us, what are we doing instead?”

Emma props herself up on her elbow, head rested in her one hand while her other hand traces imaginary shapes across Regina’s back, “We’re going to Underbrooke! Me, you, August, Neal, and Ruby.”

“Underbrooke? That club?”

“Yeah! August says they used to go all the time, but I can’t believe we’ve never been. Apparently it’s the coolest place in Storybrooke.”

“That’s not a hard title to win,” Regina snorts. “Plus it’s in the bad part of town. Not that there’s really a  _ good  _ part.”

Emma urges Regina over until she’s lying on her back. “Pleeease,” she pouts from her new resting position on her girlfriend’s chest. “It’ll be fun. We can dress up, and we can dance, and  _ you _ can drink if you want, and August says there’s a balcony where no one will see us if we want to make out…”

“Fine,” Regina says, if only to hear Emma’s heart skipping a beat.  

Emma’s only response is to smile up at her like she’s the happiest she could possibly be and leave a kiss against her jaw before nuzzling into her neck, holding her close, and Regina listens to her steady heartbeat as she allows herself to drift back to sleep.

When Regina wakes up next, it’s to Emma straddling her, wandering hands sliding along Regina’s bare stomach, and she can’t stop the moan that slips from her lips. Her girlfriend snickers. “Emma. What are you doing?”

“I’m waking you up. Is it working?”

“What do you think?” She looks up at the blonde who smiles innocently down at her. “You’re an ass.” It’s clearly just a ruse to get Regina up to get ready, no ulterior motives, nothing particularly  _ interesting _ happening with the blood in Emma’s body, which just leaves Regina suffering at the hands of a teasing blonde. Literally.

And Emma knows what she’s doing. 

Pale hands ghost up Regina’s sides as she leans down, pressing her palms to her breasts to keep her balance as she hovers over the vampire’s body and slowly, so  _ so _ slowly, brings her lips to Regina’s, initiating a long and drawn out kiss, and Regina is grateful that the only fire that can kill her is literal fire and not the kind of fire Emma makes her feel.

The blonde takes Regina’s bottom lip between her teeth and tugs lightly, eliciting a groan from the vampire whose body loses control as her hips buck beneath Emma, who just smirks, brings her mouth to Regina’s ear, and whispers, “It’s time to get up.”

Regina growls, pushing Emma off of her to the other side of the bed, flipping their positions. “You’re the worst, Miss Swan.”

“I hate when you call me that,” Emma laughs, still playing games.

“You deserve it.”

“Sorry, Gina, I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

“I hate when you call me that.”

“No you don’t,” Emma grins.

The brunette rolls her eyes and reluctantly climbs off. It’s true. She loves the nickname, but only when Emma says it. “You owe me, Emma. You really do.”

“Welllll,” Emma starts, smiling as she watches Regina change clothes from the bed, “I do get to stay over here after we go out. So we have all night.”

Regina moves back towards her, kissing her before asking, “Speaking of going out, what time are we going?”

After a quick check of her phone, Emma answers, “Any minute now. Everyone is meeting us over here. August is driving. Will you be ready in time?”

Regina winks, “Maybe.”

“Oh my god, are you gonna wear leather pants?”

The vampire just winks again. “Wait downstairs. It’s a surprise.”

Emma groans but marches out the door anyway. “You’re not fair, Regina!” 

“You started it!” Regina calls after her, grinning as she pulls a pair of leather pants out of the closet.

She’s ready by the time she hears voices downstairs, and she doesn’t hesitate to greet them. Neal and August look spiffy, Neal more casual, August more classy. They complement each other well. Ruby looks like… well, like she’s going to a club. Emma is gaping at her girlfriend, and Regina grins, tapping her girlfriend’s chin. “Better shut that mouth or you’ll be catching flies,” and Emma’s mouth snaps shut.

“Damn, Regina,” Ruby comments. Emma smacks her arm before moving to Regina and possessively pulling her closer. She has nothing to worry about, and Emma knows it, but Regina loves when her girlfriend gets like this.

“Sorry, Rubes, get your own vampire.” Regina clears her throat. “I mean, get your own True Love.” Emma smiles up at Regina. “Best of both worlds.”

Ruby makes a fake gagging noise, “You two disgust me. Are we going now?”

August just laughs, “Waiting on you.” He looks around like he just said that to say it and isn’t really waiting on anyone specific so Regina gives him a look, but his plan works, and everyone piles into August’s car to head out for the night.

* * *

 

Underbrooke is kind of a garbage place. It’s interesting and exciting and all the things a nightclub should be, but it’s also incredibly sketchy. Sitting in the bad part of town, it attracts all kinds of people, and Regina knows that means that it’s frequented by vampires. 

It’s usually not terrible. It’s the closest humans and vampires ever come to living in harmony, go figure it would be in a club, but it’s also the best place for vampires to pick up a meal, which is why Regina has never brought up coming here with Emma, and why she leaves any patrolling for negative vampire activity here up to David and Snow.

Tonight, however, it’s mostly high school students celebrating the end of exams and the beginning of summer, and Regina doesn’t say anything to Emma about vampires because, for one, she doesn’t want to make her feel like she’s here for work and not to have fun. She deserves a night off too. And second, because she knows that if anything happens, Emma is capable of looking out for herself. With both of them there, not to mention Ruby, they’re set.

So they go into the club, and after taking a good look around, as well as a good whiff of the air, dominated by teenagers who don’t know how to use deodorant, Regina decides that the coast is mostly clear, but she’ll be keeping an eye out.

“Are you gonna get a drink?” Emma asks from beside her.

Regina’s eyes take in the scene one more time, debating the drink. If there were any night at Underbrooke she could get away with getting a drink, it would be tonight, she just worries, “What if something happens?” she finishes her thought aloud.

Emma regards her for a moment before taking her own look around. She grins at Regina, “I can handle it. We’re here to have fun, and if you want to get a drink, you should be able to get one. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Regina snorts. “A lot of things.”

“Look, you don’t have to, but I think it would be nice for you to have a night off. I’m about to have all summer of nothing but patrolling, but you still have work on top of all that. Tonight may be for me being out of school, but it should be your night too.” She tugs Regina closer to her. “You should relax. I’ll take care of you,” Emma says softly, kissing Regina once, just as softly.

“You’re sweet. Do you want anything?”

“Ooh, do you think they have root beer?”

Regina laughs, “I’ll ask for you, babe.”

“We’ll just be… uh,” she looks around for the others. “I guess we’ll be over at that table,” she says pointing to where August and Neal were standing. “I’m gonna go make sure Ruby isn’t getting herself into any trouble.”

“Okay, I’ll be over there in a minute.”

She walks to the bar, keeping her eyes at the people around it, knowing that most of them aren’t going to be high school students and are more likely to be vampires, but still, nothing seems off, so Regina orders a drink for herself and a root beer for Emma before heading back to her girlfriend and her friends.

“Wow, did you just buy Emma alcohol?” Neal asks.

Emma makes a big show of rolling her eyes before sticking the bottle under his nose. “Smell,” she instructs. He does so with a soft “oh.” “Yeah, ‘oh.’ It’s just root beer. Gina respects the law. She’s reformed.”

Regina shakes her head. “You think you’re so funny. Just because  _ I _ got a soul doesn’t mean  _ you _ got a sense of humor.”

“Well, I’ve obviously got something going for me if I’m the reason you got your soul back.”

“Besides your superior kissing skills, you mean?”

“No,” Neal shakes his head. “No, we don’t want to hear this.” Emma laughs at him before using her free hand to pull Regina into a long kiss just to annoy him. It works. “C’mon guys, seriously?”

“Just wait til you get a girlfriend, Neal. Then you can do the same to us,” Emma teases.

The blush that spreads across Neal’s face is suspiciously deep. “Yeah, sure.”

Regina’s about to open her mouth to comment before someone appears to her other side, and she turns to see Ruby, already out of breath from dancing. “Hey, can I have some of that.”

“Nice try,” Regina smirks, pulling her drink away from Ruby and taking a long sip. 

The werewolf fake pouts. “One day. Anyway, can vampires even get drunk?”

Regina glares at her, “Can werewolves get drunk?”

“Dunno, I’m seventeen. I’m not allowed,” Ruby answers. Regina raises an eyebrow. “Fine, yes. Werewolves, including myself can get drunk. I’m just not a lightweight or anything. You never answered my question.”

“Yes, vampires can get drunk.”

“Sweet.”

Emma catches her attention by tightening her grip on the vampire’s waist, head turning so that her lips are only inches away from her ear. “Hey, Gina, do you want to go dance? ...Or do you want to go to the make-out-balcony?”

She takes another sip of her drink, looking around the club again. She’s never been much of a lightweight herself, but for a vampire, her alcohol tolerance is unusually low, and  _ just in case _ , she thinks she ought to have a talk with Emma. “Actually, yeah. Let’s go up to the balcony.”

Emma wiggles her eyebrows before letting Regina lead the way there. “You’ve been here before?”

“Yeah, remember, I’ve lived here for a while now. Actually, I need to talk to you about this place. Where other people won’t be listening.” Emma nods, keeping hold of Regina’s hand as they ascend the stairs.

The balcony is inside Underbrooke, up above the dance floor, and Regina knows first hand that the acoustics don’t travel from the balcony to the floor, and with the chatter from below them as well as the live music, the balcony is typically very private, even to the other people that wander up which are few and far between.

Right now, they’re the only ones up here, and Regina sighs in relief as she leans against the railing. 

“It’s really high.”

“Oh, is the Slayer scared of heights?” Regina teases.

Emma snorts, leaning against the railing next to Regina, nervously glancing over the edge. “No.” She sips her root beer, trying to look casual. “It’s not that bad.”

“The root beer?”

“The height.” Emma pauses for a moment, “And the root beer too, now that you mention it. How’s your drink? Almost gone?” 

Regina lets out an empty laugh, taking another sip. “It’s good.”

“Do you feel relaxed?”

“A little.”

“We’ll get you there,” Emma smiles before going serious, fidgeting as she peels the label off of her bottle. “So, uh, what’d you want to talk to me about?”

She shouldn’t be nervous, but suddenly she’s dreading mentioning anything and kicking herself for not doing it sooner. At the time, it seemed like the best plan, but standing in a club that tends to be a hotspot for vampire activity, slipping into intoxication, it just feels like bad timing. Emma takes her hand, making soft strokes with her thumb, and Regina smiles, comforted, because Emma seems to know her better than anyone.

“I should have told you about this earlier. Probably back at Christmas, and definitely before we came here tonight, but it just never came up.” She takes a deep breath. “There’s usually a lot of vampires here.”

Emma nods in thought for a minute before shrugging. “Figures.”

It’s not what Regina was expecting.

“What?”

“Well, it’s a nightclub. You know, like, creepy men hitting on women? That happens in nightclubs all the time, so I figure some vampires might use similar tactics. Plus, whenever my parents go on their solo patrols here, thinking they’re being sneaky, they never are. I’ll ask how it went and my mom will literally answer “not Underbrooke” and my dad will cough and say “ _ vampire spook _ . She said  _ vampire spook _ .” They’re the least subtle people on the planet.”

This makes Regina laugh, “At least you know where you got it from.”

“Got what?” 

Regina blinks at her for a moment until she realizes she’s genuinely confused and just laughs. “Nothing, love.” Emma slowly nods, unsure, looking down at everyone dancing. “So,” Regina starts, getting her girlfriend’s attention back, “Did you still want to make out up here or should we go back down?”

Emma grins, “I thought you’d never ask.”

* * *

 

Regina makes her way down the balcony stairs after a sufficient enough time to have gotten revenge on her for earlier while Emma trudges behind her grumbling things like “I can’t believe you” and “I wasn’t  _ that bad _ earlier” and Regina just smirks. 

“Seriously, Emma? You were ridiculous earlier.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Emma mutters.

“Wow, what’d you do this time, Emma,” August jokes, coming up next to them. Emma gapes at him in disbelief, sputtering a response, and she takes the opportunity to slip off to get she and Emma more drinks. 

While said drinks are getting prepared, she’s distracting herself by reading the menu at the bar when she hears a guy on the other side complaining about them turning down his ID. “It’s real, I swear,” he says. Regina can’t get a good look at him, but he looks young enough to need a fake ID to drink, so she rolls her eyes and ignores him.

When she gets back to the others, they’re all dancing and trying to convince a still pouting Emma to join them. She’s in the middle of talking about how she refuses to give in when Regina sneaks up behind her, kissing her neck and handing her the root beer, and Emma’s smiling again.

“What were you saying, Em?” August laughs, and she gives him a look before turning to Regina. 

“You wanna dance with me?”

“Of course,” Regina smiles as Emma takes her hand, and she lets herself get lost in the music, lost in Emma, and she doesn’t realize how affected she is by the alcohol until Emma disappears for the bathroom, but isn’t back for a normal amount of time and she panics. Ruby shrugs and says there was probably a line, but Regina has a bad feeling, so she maneuvers her way through the crowd.

After a minute of looking, she finally finds Emma, standing near the bathroom, shifting uncomfortably as this guy talks to her, standing too close, and Regina sees red.

She tries to keep her composure as she approaches them, and all she can see is the guys back, but as she gets closer, she recognizes him as the guy from the bar earlier, same voice and same look. As she walks closer, she makes an attempt to listen in on their conversation. It’s hard to pick up on at first, but the closer she gets, the easier it is to pick up on their voices, Emma’s standing out the most. Regina hears her say, “I’m not wearing anything,” her voice stiff. Then the guy says, “But you smell so good, I don’t know how you do it.” Emma shrugs, avoiding eye contact and says, “I guess it’s just how I smell.” And the guy says, “Must be some kind of superpower.”

That’s when Regina’s had quite enough, and from the looks of it, Emma has too. She’s not sure how she should play this, but she stops thinking too hard about it and just walks up to Emma, loops an arm securely around her waist, and says, “There you are. Emma, babe, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” 

She makes a show of smiling at Emma, who looks both relieved and horrified at the turn of events. The only thing stopping her from full on making out with Emma in front of this kid is the fact that Emma knows what jealous Regina looks like and isn’t interested in the consequences she creates for them both.

The guy opposite Emma has taken a step back. “Oh,” is all he says.

Finally Regina turns to the guy, makes firm and deliberate eye contact, and says, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. I hope I didn’t interrupt.” She smiles at him for good measure, and he tries to smile back, but it just looks like a wince.

They stare at each other in a tense silence before Emma finally clears her throat, “Uhm, this is my girlfriend, Regina. Regina, this is…” she trails off, either not remembering his name or not having ever known it. Either way, the vampire doesn’t care.

“Killian,” the guy responds curtly, extending his arm for a handshake. Regina takes it, thinking about showing him exactly how much she isn’t going to tolerate him hitting on her girlfriend, her  _ True Love _ , thank you very much, through a handshake, but she nearly drops his hand the minute she touches it. 

It’s cold.

Regina never thinks anything is cold. 

She gives the guy another once over before he smirks and says, “You’re very lucky. Quite the girl you’ve got here,” and he’s lucky he’s backing away, cause Regina could have socked him, and probably would have.

Emma leans into her, and Regina can hear her own heart pounding, and it’s even more telling when Emma seems to feel it, flinching back slightly. “Regina?” she asks, unsure and concerned.

The vampire takes a deep breath, “He…” she closes her eyes and stops talking. She doesn’t have the proof, but who comments on someone’s scent like that? Not to mention Regina thought his hand was cold, like vampire cold. And to top it all off, he even references Emma potentially having a  _ superpower _ . Does he know Emma’s the Slayer? Is that why he was talking to her?

“Regina,” Emma says again, “It’s okay. He didn’t mean anything by it. Besides, I’m so uninterested that I’ve already forgotten his name. He’s just a dude who hit on me. But it’s fine, cause I’ve got the most beautiful girlfriend ever…”

Emma keeps talking, but Regina’s brain stops taking it all in. All she can think is that a vampire just flirted with Emma, probably to get close to her because she’s the Slayer, and he’s up to something, or behind something serious, she just doesn’t know what.

“Regina?” 

The vampire finally shakes her head and looks to her girlfriend. “Emma, I…” she trails off, going over the accusations in her mind, but they all sound insane.

“It’s not a big deal okay? He’s gone now, and you’re the one taking me home tonight. We can forget all about him. C’mon, Gina, let’s go home.”

It takes a few minutes of coaxing, but Emma is finally able to convince Regina that they should go home. They’d gone out and had a good time, but it was clear that Underbrooke was used up for the night. The others weren’t ready to go, so they decided to walk. (“It’s okay, Regina, I don’t go anywhere unarmed anymore,” she winks, flashing the stake Regina gave her when they first met.)

The whole way back, Regina is shaking. The alcohol probably didn’t help, but it’s all worn off so she can’t even use it as an excuse. Emma’s next to her, gripping her hand with one of her own, her other looped around Regina’s arm so she can hold her as close as possible. It’s clear she’s worried, but Regina isn’t about to console her when anything could happen on their walk home. 

“Regina?” Emma breaks the silence. “Are you still thinking about it?”

“Yes,” she answers through gritted teeth. 

“Why?”

She’s still not sure she should say anything, but the words are leaving her mouth before she can stop them. Emma couldn’t have missed it. To her, it was  _ so clear _ . “I think he’s a vampire. Killian.”

At first, Emma laughs until she realizes Regina isn’t laughing with her. “Wait, you’re serious? Regina, that’s crazy. He was just a sketchy dude.”

The vampire gapes at her girlfriend, sputtering for a moment, unsure of where to start. “His hand was cold!” is unfortunately the thing she says first, eliciting another laugh from Emma. “He commented on your smell, and equated  _ the way you smell _ to a superpower! I think he knows you’re the Slayer, and I think he’s up to something!”

“Well, when you yell like that, I think everyone will know I’m the Slayer.” Regina huffs, pulling her arms away from Emma and crossing them tightly across her chest. “Regina... Look, I really don’t think we have anything to worry about. If we see him again, we can handle it, but what are the chances?” She turns to face Regina, placing both hands on her shoulders. “It’s gonna be fine, babe. Okay?”

Reluctantly, Regina nods with a long sigh, and let’s her girlfriend envelop her in a hug. “Okay.” Emma just holds her for a minute, one hand wrapped securely around her waist, the other running through her dark hair.

She pulls back with a soft kiss and a mischievous smile. “Maybe you just need to eat,” she winks. Regina rolls her eyes, but she thinks her girlfriend might be right.

Emma’s implication has her body buzzing the rest of the way back to her place, as does the buzzing of Emma’s body. There’s no question what the blonde is thinking about judging by the direction her blood seems to be moving in.

They’re after each other the minute they pass the threshold of her place, Regina using Emma’s body to slam the door shut and Emma eagerly tearing off the vampire’s jacket. “Fuck,” Emma mutters as Regina’s mouth nips at Emma’s ear before moving down her jawline, a hand tugging at blonde locks. She hasn’t brought her teeth out yet, intent on teasing.

Emma’s hands grip Regina’s waist just under her untucked shirt, pulling her as close as possible, and Regina responds by pressing a thigh between Emma’s, relishing in the low moan that escapes her lips. “Do you want to go upstairs,” she whispers into the blonde’s ear, “Or do you just wanna do it right here?”

“Take me wherever you want,” Emma answers. “Just take me.”

Smirking, Regina pulls her to the couch, cupping her face in her hands before kissing her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, before bringing their lips together, slowly parting Emma’s lips with hers, biting her bottom lip before swiping her tongue across it and resuming the slow kiss. Emma smiles against her lips, and Regina smiles back before slowly stepping back and sliding off her shirt, even more slowly, while Emma stares at her, slack jawed, heart rate increasing, blood pounding to her core. 

She does the same with her leather pants, the same with her underwear, until she’s fully nude and Emma is speechless. She steps back to her girlfriend, pressing her naked body against Emma’s still clothed body, her lips by the blonde’s ear, “I love the way you sound. Your body getting ready for me.”

Emma audibly gulps as Regina steps back again, sitting on the couch and looking up at her. “Take your clothes off.” The blonde doesn’t hesitate before tearing her clothes from her body. Regina chuckles, “Slow down.” The Slayer gains control over herself by the time she’s left in only her underwear, and green eyes meet hers as she slowly reaches behind her back to unhook her bra, letting it slip off her shoulders and to the floor, followed by a damp pair of panties.

When Regina is satisfied by Emma’s state of undress, she quirks an eyebrow and summons her girlfriend to her with a curl of her finger, tugging her gently onto her lap so she’s straddling her. The vampire moans when she feels Emma’s wet core against her leg, and the blonde’s breath hitches at the sound.

“I’m ready for you, my queen.”

The term of endearment is enough to make Regina melt, and she hums in approval, pulling Emma forward and brushing her long blonde hair to one side of her neck, ghosting the other side with her nose. “You smell delicious, my love.”

“I bet I taste even better,” Emma breathes, tilting her head to accommodate Regina’s position.

“Mmm, I bet you do. My sweet, dark fruit,” the vampire mumbles into her neck.

“I want you to taste me, Regina. I want you to drink me. My body and my blood… it’s all yours.”

“All mine?” Regina asks, trailing her tongue up Emma’s neck.

The blonde shudders beneath her. “All yours.”

Regina continues to brush her lips across Emma’s neck, taking steady breaths and listening to the blonde’s become more erratic. She runs her hands up and down the pale skin of her girlfriend's body, feeling the taut muscles underneath. She nips a few times at Emma’s pulse point, but it isn’t until the blonde lets out a lustful whimper that she sinks her teeth in.

Emma’s response is immediate, letting out a low guttural moan that is half incoherent and half Regina’s name, and the vampire feels her body warming as it reacts to the rich flavors of Emma’s blood. Before she’d drank from Emma, she’d tried Slayer’s blood, so she knew it was an aphrodisiac, but nothing affected her like Emma’s blood in particular. It satisfied her hunger, but drove her desire for Emma over the edge.

The experience seemed to have a similar effect on the Slayer who only becomes wetter while Regina drinks from her. Emma straddling Regina while having her blood sucked is a new position for them, and when Emma starts grinding the vampire’s leg, letting her feel just how wet she is, Regina decides it’s her new favorite.

She grabs at Regina’s hair in fistfuls, tugging hard enough to make Regina moan into Emma’s neck and suck a little harder, both hands gripping her ass, helping to guide her movements as she gives herself stimulation riding Regina’s leg.

“Regina,” Emma whimpers almost inaudibly, her heart rate at an all time high, and Regina knows she’s about to come, so she pulls her teeth from Emma’s neck, giving the wound a soft kiss before raising her lips to her ear. She tangles a hand in blonde hair and tugs. “Come for me, Em-ma,” she whispers, jerking her leg up enough to surprise Emma and send her over the edge. It works, and the Slayer unravels on top of her, gasping as her body quivers against Regina.

Her recovery is instantaneous.

“Fuck, baby, that was so good.” Regina laughs out a breath, pleased she can give her girlfriend what she needs. “You tasted me,” Emma says, leaning into Regina’s ear. “Now let me taste you.”

“Shit,” Regina mutters as Emma brings their lips together for a kiss, it’s quick and sloppy but ends with Regina’s lower lip between Emma’s teeth and the vampire growls. 

“You like that?” Green eyes dance with seduction and playfulness, and Regina can’t get enough. Emma is beautiful and sexy and fun and serious all at the same time and it’s doing more to Regina than the Slayer’s blood working its way through the vampire’s body, stimulating all her nerve endings.

Before she knows it, Emma is lying back on the couch and urging Regina to her, or more specifically over her. She leads Regina where she wants her, her face right below the vampire’s center. Their eyes meet and leans up, leaving a gentle kiss to Regina’s core. “You’re so sexy,” she mutters before she pulls Regina down to her and running her tongue through Regina’s wet folds.

Immediately, Regina is seeing stars, moaning loudly at the contact, jerking on top of Emma as her tongue circles her clit before she sucks on it with exactly enough pressure. She has to grip the back of the couch to hold herself up, and Emma takes her other hand in hers, intertwining their fingers as she helps hold her in place with the other.

Regina’s senses are overwhelmed as she listens to the sound of Emma’s mouth moving against her, the little noises Emma is making as she tastes her, the increase in Emma’s heart rate, the sound of Emma’s blood reigniting her arousal, and Regina knows how desperately Emma longs for her, and all of that, combined with the feeling of Emma’s tongue, Emma’s lips, against her, the feel of her fingers as they grip her thigh tight enough to bruise, and the contrasting softness with which she holds Regina’s hand, Regina explodes, screaming out Emma’s name as she feels her orgasm running through her spine before she collapses, and the Slayer tugs her down, their bodies resting together. 

They just lie together for a minute, Regina catching breath she doesn’t even need while Emma plays with her hair. “I love you,” she whispers.

The vampire lifts her head so she can kiss Emma, it’s slow and sensitive, and she can feel Emma’s sentiment in the way her lips move against Regina’s. She pulls back, they smile at each other, and Regina’s never been happier. “I love you too.”

* * *

 

They wake up in the middle of the night, still naked and tangled together, only Emma’s pulled a blanket over them, her arms wrapped tightly around Regina, stroking her hair gently, telling her it’s okay, and it takes a minute for the vampire to realize she’s crying as her body violently shivers against Emma.

“What…” Regina starts, her voice thick, “What happened?”

“I think you had a bad dream,” Emma says, continuing her comforting motions, kissing Regina’s temple. “Do you remember anything?”

“I…” She’s about to say  _ I don’t know _ because she doesn’t think she remembers any of it, but then all of sudden, she does. The dream hits her all over again, and she falls apart on Emma, just like that day. She’d nearly forgotten, but now the name, the  _ message _ , echoes through her mind, shaking her to her core because she  _ still _ doesn’t understand it and Snow  _ still  _ doesn’t remember it, but she knows it has to mean something.

_ Rumple. _

“Regina? Are you okay?” Emma asks, trying to catch her eyes, but the vampire closes them so she won’t have to face her. There’s no reason to put this pressure on Emma, not to mention Snow, who this will reach eventually. And besides, she’s not even sure how to talk about it. So she won’t. Not yet, anyway.

“I’m fine,” she says, finally looking into Emma’s eyes. Her heart almost breaks when she sees how much worry they’re holding, and she hates keeping this from her girlfriend. The person she trusts more than anyone, the person she tells everything to.

_ But it’s for the best _ , she thinks.

She watches as the worry in Emma’s eyes turn to something close to suspicion, but she smiles and kisses Regina’s head again, clearly letting her have this one.

As Emma’s breathing evens back out, the vampire lies awake. 

The night goes by, and she doesn’t fall asleep again, despite all her energy being taken up trying to erase the thoughts from her mind, but her efforts are in vain, unable to quell her worries. She thinks of  _ Killian _ and of  _ Evil Snow _ , and of  _ Rumple _ and by the time Emma wakes up again, Regina has only reached one conclusion.

Snow needs her memories back.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina doesn’t mention her dream to Emma, or to Snow, or to David, or to  _ anyone _ , but it remains at the forefront of her mind. Emma seems to realize that something is amiss because she always gives Regina a look of scrutiny, but brushes it off when Regina asks her why she’s looking at her like that.

It’s only a matter of time before Emma breaks and directly asks her about it.

When Snow starts looking at her the same way, she knows she’s only counting down the days, because Snow is even more impatient than her daughter and hates not having answers. It’s a wonder she’s made it this long without finding a way to get her memories back on her own. Has she lost the memory of not having her memories? Did someone cast some sort of spell on her? Is Rumple really an active threat? Regina shakes her head. She’s just being paranoid.

Since it’s summer, Emma practically begs Snow to let her stay with Regina more. “Mom, she’s all alone, and she’s been having nightmares, and I just want to protect her,” the vampire overhears one day. 

“Emma…”

“I’m  _ eighteen _ .  _ And  _ I’m the Slayer. It’s my job to save the world from the forces of darkness. How can anyone trust me to do that if I can’t even be there for my girlfriend when she needs me?”

Snow seems to sense her presence as she sighs and says even quieter, “Emma, let’s talk about this later.” 

When Regina finally sees them a few minutes later, neither of them bring it up, and she doesn’t mention it. 

Another day, they’re curled up in Emma’s bed, waiting for the sun to go down so Regina can go home, and the blonde nudges Regina’s side. “Do you get lonely?”

The vampire looks into Emma’s wide, green eyes and she can’t find it in her to lie. “I do.”

“Why don’t you stay with me? You can sneak in like you used to at August’s and stay the night, then leave before the sun comes up. No one has to know.” She smiles hopefully at her girlfriend, and Regina already knows she isn’t going to refuse. 

“We can try,” she answers, giving her a quick kiss.

It works. For all of two days.

On the third morning, they both oversleep, and Snow finds them tangled together, Regina curled up in Emma’s arms. They wake up after the sun rises, and Regina sheepishly heads downstairs with nowhere else to go. 

Snow sighs. “You guys can stay together more if you’d like, but Emma, you have to tell me where you’re staying and when. I don’t want to be worried about you when I can’t find you.”

Emma squeals, ginning wide and hugging Snow. “Deal.”

For the most part, the summer starts slow. They continue doing regular patrols, but nothing out of the ordinary happens. Sometimes they go out to Underbrooke and Regina keeps an eye out for Killian, both at the club and on patrols, but she never sees him, and she doesn’t mention him to Emma who continues growing suspicious of her weird behavior.

Finally, the night comes, and Regina decides that she has to talk to Emma, and maybe to Mary Margaret, because she hasn’t stopped having dreams of an evil Snow relaying the message of  _ Rumple _ to a werewolf Ruby she’s just mauled into a near catatonic state. She’ll have the same dream, only sometimes it’s Neal getting mauled, or August, or David, or herself, and when it’s Emma and she wakes up sobbing and clutching Emma so tightly that her nails nearly break skin, she knows she can’t keep it in. 

_ After patrol _ , she decides that morning as she makes Emma breakfast. She thinks the blonde is going to ask her about the nightmare again, considering Regina’s reaction last night, but she doesn’t. She just smiles, kisses Regina’s cheek and thanks her for breakfast. 

“Are you hungry?” Emma asks her after she finishes eating. 

Regina shrugs, “I don’t want to overdo it. You need your strength for patrol tonight.”

“I know. I can go pick you up something if you feel better about that?” 

With a smile, Regina nods, “You’re so considerate. How did I get so lucky?”

“When you know your True Love, you’re always lucky,” Emma grins back. 

While she’s gone, Regina thinks about how she’s going to bring it up, and if she should bring Snow into it now or later, but she doesn’t know. Not then, not when Emma comes back, not when she’s finished drinking the blood Emma got for her, and not when the sun goes down and they head out to Snow’s to meet everyone for patrol.

It’s a Saturday, which means they have their  _ big patrol _ . All of them go out together to the same graveyards at the same time, because the likeliness for vampire activity is at an all- time high on summer weekends. 

They have a whole system, staying in little clusters to make sure everyone is protected. Neal, August, and David can’t go off alone, so they make sure to stick with anyone else, though groups are usually established before they leave the house. Tonight it’s August and Ruby, Emma and David, and Neal and Regina and Snow. They usually stay close enough to call for each other if anything happens, but otherwise are separated.

However, tonight seems to be particularly slow and boring, so they decide to split up. The two pairs head to another graveyard while Regina and her group sticks to the area they’re already in. Snow wanders off, and Regina isn’t worried; the woman is a vampire  _ and _ a Slayer after all, but when she hears a startled cry from across the graveyard, her heart nearly beats from her chest as she grabs Neal by the arm and starts running. 

They get to Snow in time to hear a vampire laughing at her. “Wow, fighting for the wrong side again, I see,” and the pixie-haired woman is too stunned to respond. The vampire takes advantage of her state, lunging towards her, his hands curling around her neck, and Regina reacts immediately, pushing Neal behind her and lunging forward, breaking the two apart and thrusting a stake through the guy’s heart. She stares at his dusty remains on the ground before turning to help Snow up.

“You, okay?” The woman doesn’t respond, just blinks, eyes panicked and empty. Regina shakes her shoulder a little bit. “Snow?”

Eventually, she comes back to earth and meets Regina’s gaze. She’s shocked and terrified, and Regina knows exactly what she’s going to say before she says it.

“I need my memories back.”

* * *

 

By the time they get back to Snow’s, the woman is frantic, and Regina doesn’t need to worry about how to start the conversation with Emma because Snow does it for her.

Emma’s eyes are wide, flickering between her girlfriend and her mother. “What happened? Mom? What’s going on?”

Snow tries to explain, she really does, but it’s all coming out in little bursts of words that Emma is clearly not understanding, so Regina has to take over. She puts her hand on Snow’s shoulder to ease her to silence before having her sit down.

“Everyone is fine,” she starts, “But we ran into a vampire tonight, and he recognized Snow from when… you know, she wasn’t herself,” she explains carefully. Emma’s eyes go wide as she nods in understanding. “He’s dead now, but Snow wants her memories back… and I agree.” She takes a deep breath. “I didn’t tell you this before, because I didn’t want to worry you, but my nightmares are related to… that time and everything that happened,” she admits. “I hope you’re not mad at me for keeping it from you.”

Emma’s eyes grow even wider before she throws her arms around her girlfriend’s neck, “Gina, no! I could never be mad at you for something like this. But I do wish you’d told me. You know you could have, right? Anything and always. I’m here for you.”

Regina nods, “I know.”

Ruby speaks next, and Regina jumps, having forgotten everyone else was in the room. “So, what should we do? Is there a way to get her memories back?”

David and Regina exchange a look before David nods, clearing his throat and giving everyone the answer Regina hoped they wouldn’t need. “Magic.”

Regina sits on the sidelines, watching everyone dive excitedly into the whole magic scene but keeps her distance. She doesn’t want to talk about it, she doesn’t want to think about it, and she refuses to so much as acknowledge it unless she has to, and she doesn’t plan on needing to.

David starts talking about the Council, and Emma keeps rolling her eyes at every mention of their name. He shoots her a look. “What?” she exclaims. “It’s not like they were  _ helpful _ .”

“Maybe if you’d listen to me, you know they weren’t a total waste of my time.” He pauses for a moment before correcting himself. “Okay, so  _ they  _ were, but their resources weren’t. There was even a wizard on the Council, you know. He taught me a little bit.”

“Of magic? You know magic?” August asks excitedly.

“Well, not really. He taught me a lot of the history. The patterns of magic and how it’s acquired… how it works with the Earth and with us. It’s very spiritual.”

“Do you still have books on all that?”

David grins at him. “I take it you’re interested?” August nods, grinning back. “Just in learning or do you want to practice it to?”

“Do you think I could? Practice it, I mean?”

The older man shrugs, “Maybe. My understanding is that anyone can try to do magic, and there’s a few spells anyone can do, but to be a practicing wizard, you need some sort of innate abilities…?” He looks to Regina for help, and the vampire pales.

Emma gives her a curious look, and Regina opens her mouth, prepared to deny knowledge of magic, innate or acquired, when Snow starts instead, “Yeah, um, an old friend of my father’s was a witch. She had innate magic, and it can connect through blood. So, if David or I had innate magic, Emma, your chances of having it would be higher. Or anyone else who had parents with innate magic.”

Regina isn’t looking, as she’s actively avoiding eye contact with everyone around her, but she hears August sigh in defeat. 

The other vampire is quick to assuage him, “Oh, but there’s other factors too, August. Sometimes it doesn’t even pass on. And really, it isn’t that some people  _ can’t  _ be witches or wizards.” She stops in thought for a moment her brows furrowing together. “I suppose it’s like learning any new skill, or a new language, or an instrument. Different types of knowledge come easier to some people than others. Magic is the same way.”

“So what about the innate magic?” Ruby asks. “I kind of got into some of the magic stuff when I was trying to control my abilities. But it was mostly meditation and potions, very much on the  _ earthy _ side, you know? Do you think it came more naturally because of my werewolf abilities? Like Emma might be better at it because she already has abilities? The Slayer stuff, I mean... Or you? Or even Regina since she’s a vampire?”

Regina tenses at the implication, but wishes she wouldn’t. She feels Emma’s hand resting on hers, and she looks over at her girlfriend, green eyes so soft compared to the hard glare her own eyes cast. “You okay?” she whispers, just loud enough for Regina to hear, so quiet that even Ruby and Snow don’t hear. She gives Emma a quick nod, her fingers a gentle squeeze of reassurance before looking back to Snow to respond, grateful their whole interaction, not to mention Regina’s demeanor at this topic of conversation, went unnoticed.

“I’m not sure that’s the case. I suppose it could make sense, since we’re all more in touch with the supernatural because of who we are.” She glances cautiously at Regina. “Maybe more so for Emma and I, as Slayers. Because the Slayer lore talks about us all being unified and connected, to each other and to the earth. It’s inherent within us, whereas Regina wasn’t necessarily destined to be a vampire.”

“What about the prophecies?” August asks, confused.

Regina sighs, and everyone looks to her, and she suddenly wished she hadn’t brought any attention to herself at all. “Prophecies are…” she starts, and she really  _ really  _ thinks about brushing over the subject. Honestly, she hoped to avoid this entire conversation for a while, forever even, but she looks to Emma, who can tell she knows something, Snow too, and she decides she might as well. 

She takes a deep breath before finally admitting, “Prophecies are all true, in a way. So, yes, August. I was destined to be a vampire. I was meant to be born from my parents, meant to be my mother’s child, meant to meet Emma, meant to be her true love… among other things. Same for Emma. Her birthright was prophesied too. There’s so much out there, but it’s dangerous to know things.”

“What do they have to do with magic? Prophecies, I mean. Could they be useful to us?” August asks.

“There’s a man… he’s called  _ the Apprentice _ , but I don’t know his real name. I’m not sure anyone does, but he knows a lot about prophecies… and about magic.”

“If he’s called the Apprentice, who is he an apprentice to?”

Regina’s about to answer, but David beats her to it. “The Sorcerer. Right?” He looks to Regina to confirm the answer. She nods. 

“This is a lot to take in, and it’s late, so we shouldn’t get into it all right now. But if you really want to learn magic, going to the Apprentice might be your best bet. He knows more than any books could teach you.”

She expects David and August to jump at the opportunity, and they do, but she’s surprised when  _ Emma _ does as well, joining them as they make plans to visit the Apprentice. He’s in Boston, and they want to go as soon as possible. David is insistent on returning Snow’s memories, which Emma and August agree with, but August is more interested in learning magic for himself, excited to be able to contribute more to their patrols, and even more thrilled to be picking up a new skill. Emma on the other hand, to Regina’s relief, doesn’t seem interested in magic. However, she is interested in the next worst thing, prophecies.

It only makes sense, given that she’s part of at least one to Regina’s knowledge, but she worries there are more, especially considering what they already know about Emma’s birthright. She doesn’t want to find out more, and she doesn’t want Emma to either. Nothing good comes from finding out too much, just like nothing good comes from magic. 

Regina would know.

She thinks she could somehow show Emma, convince her of the dangers and risks, but she doesn’t want to crush her hopes. After all, the Apprentice knows better than to tell the subject of a prophecy all about their future, and who said Emma wanted to know the future? She chooses to keep her mouth shut but goes along with them to Boston. 

“Are you sure you can? It’s a day long trip…” Emma asks, concerned, but Regina takes it as suspicion and it only wants to make her go more, just to make sure. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. David’s windows are as tinted as they get, and I won’t have any skin exposed in direct sunlight. I’ll be fine.”

So they all climb into David’s car, August in the front with David, Emma and Regina in the back, and set out to visit the Apprentice.

They get there around noon, and Regina has to dash inside bundled in an obnoxious wind jacket that Emma got for her, bright yellow and baggy, (“But hey, at least it’s not heavy like your cape thing,” Emma had said), and they all waltz in after her. The Apprentice’s office is in the back of a library attached to a magic shop, and the place is dim and windowless, much to Regina’s relief as she tosses off the jacket and pushes it into Emma’s arms.

“Aw, are you embarrassed cause it’s so colorful?”

“No,” Regina lies. 

Her girlfriend just smiles, puts her chin in her hand, and brings their lips together. “You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.”

“I’m not grumpy,” the vampire defends.

“I love you, grumpy,” Emma says, kissing her, again.

“Are you guys done being gay or can we go find the Apprentice now?” August asks, coming up behind them, jest in his eyes.

Emma laughs, “We’ll never be done being gay, but sure, let’s go.”

The guy running the bookstore seems to be in on it, but judging by the rustic, almost themed nature of the library, it’s no surprise. He leads them through the shelves to a back room. Regina’s expecting a cramped office, but is surprised to see a spacious area with tables and more shelves. When she realizes there’s no windows in here either, she steps out from behind Emma, who was shielding her like the overprotective girlfriend she is.

Regina steps in front of her, looking for the man that is supposedly  _ the Apprentice _ , and Emma grips her hand tightly, pulling her back a little. “Regina,” she whispers. “Stay back here. I have a bad feeling.”

She’s not sure what it is, but something makes her do what Emma’s suggesting, and that’s when she feels it. 

The room contains magic, hiding something with some kind of forcefield, and Regina clears her throat before she says, “We’re not here to cause trouble.”

“Who are you talking to?” Emma asks.

“There’s a wall of magic in here,“ Regina whispers.

“How do you know that?” Regina turns to see green eyes widening in alarm. “Can you feel it?”

Suddenly a voice speaks from somewhere behind the magic. Everyone jumps, so Regina knows everyone can hear it. “I should hope she can feel it.” The cloak of magic drops, and an old man is standing near a desk in front of them, his eyes a blend of alarm and confusion. “With magic that strong, I’m surprised she didn’t drop the magic shield herself.”

“She what?” August says, loud enough to make Regina self conscious. 

This is exactly the kind of thing Regina was hoping to avoid. She had never told any of them about her magic, and she never planned to. She thought it would be fine, and maybe it still can be, but then she hears Emma’s soft voice beside her, “Regina?” and she turns to meet the inevitable hurt in Emma’s eyes at finding out Regina had kept something from her, again, and she doesn’t know what to say, especially not with four pairs of eyes on her, and especially not when one of those pairs belongs to Emma.

She runs from the room before anyone can say anything else.

When she’s back in the library, halfway to the door, she realizes that she’s trapped in there by the sun. The  _ fucking sun _ , always ruining everything. So she ducks through the shelves to one side of the library where she finds the kind of couch that belongs in the home of a little old lady, all floral and faded pink, tucked away against the wall and behind a shelf, and she makes herself comfortable, curled up in a ball in the corner.

She almost laughs at the strangeness of it all, shamefully tucked away after her magic is revealed, one of these things being something her mother would have supported, and the other she would have frowned upon. She would have told her about how embracing her magic would make her powerful, better than everyone else, while hiding it and moping on the corner of a couch that smells like dust and mothballs is weakness, like love.

When her mother’s words dance back through her mind, Emma shows up, not hesitating to sink down next to Regina and pull her into her strong arms. The vampire isn’t sure what to do, so she stiffly sits and lets her girlfriend hold her in the silence, until she feels okay to break it.

“Emma?”

“Yes, love?” Regina’s heart nearly breaks at the adoration in Emma’s voice, how she’s always here, no matter what happens and no matter what Regina does. She believes in her, and Regina crumbles enough to sink into Emma, turning her head into her neck and giving it a soft kiss. “You don’t have to talk about it now. You can tell me when you’re ready. I’m just… worried.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I’m worried that you don’t know how important you are to me. How much you can trust me. How much I love you and want the best for you.”

“Emma…” Regina meets her girlfriend’s eyes as she lifts a hand to her face, cupping it gently and stroking her cheek even more softly. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“You’re sure?”

Regina nods, taking Emma’s hands in hers and looking down at them. “I just… I was afraid to tell anyone.”

“About the magic?” The vampire answers with silence, not looking back up at Emma. “Regina, what was he talking about?” Emma asks after a few beats, so soft, like she almost doesn’t want to ask, doesn’t want to push her, but knows she has to.

Finally, Regina looks back up to Emma. “I’m a witch.”

* * *

 

_ Just as Regina had always known about vampires, she had always known about magic.  _

_ But it was a different kind of knowledge.  _

_ Her mother had taught her the stories about vampires, told her about protection and when she would need it and when she wouldn’t, about how vampires were often misrepresented and misunderstood but, like people, couldn’t be trusted, and she had kept Regina at a distance. _

_ Magic on the other hand was always close, happening right in front of Regina’s eyes. She may not have known about her mother’s vampire identity for the first sixteen years of her life, but she was raised with the knowledge that her mother was a witch.  _

_ She hated it. _

_ Cora wasn’t subtle about her magic. In public, the rare times they ever went anywhere, she would keep it to herself, using it only when no one was looking or could tell. Spells that manipulated people like mind control, and spells that helped them bend the rules when Cora thought they shouldn’t apply. She always said there weren’t spells for everything, but to Regina, it seemed that there was nothing her mother couldn’t do. _

_ She used her magic to make her life the way she wanted, to make  _ Regina _ the way she wanted, and in that way, Regina came to resent magic, dreading its use and pleading with her mother to stop using it for everything. Her mother’s only response was impatient. “How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not using it for  _ everything. _ That would be impossible.” She knew better than to talk back, so she dropped it, choosing to believe that her mother was not only a witch, but a liar as well.  _

_ What made it worse was discovering that Cora’s magic wasn’t just practiced, it was innate.  _

_ And it was innate within Regina, too. _

_ Cora smirked when it revealed itself within Regina. She didn’t understand what Regina’s issue with magic was. _

_ It started when she was twelve years old, at school on a Tuesday, and it was the first year that she and her classmates ever went the school cafeteria for lunch rather than eating in their classrooms, but it was also the first year any of them started forming cliques.  _

_ Regina was under the impression she’d always had a lot of friends, based in the countless birthday parties she had that all of her classmates would attend, but in retrospect, she wonders just how many invitation acceptances her mother had to buy so she could be popular. _

_ When lavish birthday parties came to an end and all that was left was who Regina was at face value, as a middle schooler just trying to get by, no one stuck around. She wasn’t disappointed. In fact, she was relieved that she didn’t have to be bothered by fake social interactions or put up with playing pretend, not the fun kind she and her classmates used to partake in but the real kind that stings. She thought that as long as she could blend in, nothing would be so bad. _

_ But she didn’t just blend in. _

_ About a month and a half into school, on that completely boring Tuesday, everyone was in the school cafeteria. Regina was carrying her tray to her favorite secluded place in the corner, juggling the tray with the books tucked under her arm, and someone had dashed by, snatching the water bottle from her tray and throwing the entire thing off balance. _

_ It wobbled on Regina’s hand and she tried to steady it, but she overcorrected and sent the contents of her lunch falling backwards onto her. As she realized where it was falling, she jumped back, inconveniently tripping over someone who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, sending them both toppling to the floor, Regina landing on top of the poor girl, who shoved her off immediately. _

_ She looked up in horror to see them all staring, until one kid pointed at them, laughing and calling out, and she was too embarrassed to catch on to what was going on. She looked to the girl for answers, but the girl looked back at her in disgust. “I-I’m sorry,” Regina tried, moving to wipe the sauce from the girl’s shirt, but she flinched back. _

_ “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she scowled. _

_ “What?” _

_ “Admit it, you did, didn’t you?” _

_ She opened her mouth to defend herself, but it was too hard to think over all the voices yelling around her. She picked up on some words.  _ Clumsy. Weird. Loser.  _ And she knows they aren’t directed to the girl next to her. _

_ Regina scrambled to her feet, holding her hand out to the her classmate, offering to help her up, but the girl scowled again before standing on her own. “Get away from me,” she spat, and Regina blinked at her in surprise. What had she done to deserve this? _

_ What she didn’t know was that middle schoolers could be terrible to each other. She’d never been paying enough attention. They didn’t always know how to transition into maturity, they fell into insecurities, and the only ways they knew how to cope with their own struggles was to impose on other people, bringing them down as a means to bring themselves back up, even if there was no real reason. _

_ Because Regina had no close friends, no one on her side, everyone turned against her, making her an easy target. _

_ At first, it was more confusing than anything else. After all, it was an accident, and  _ she _ was the one who tripped and should have been considered a victim to gravity, not an instigator to her classmates, but apparently it didn’t work that way in middle school logic.  _

_ But she kept up her studies, stayed ahead in class, and never made any friends. Her mother wouldn’t have understood, and Regina wasn’t about to explain herself.  _

_ So when the inevitable question came, “Regina, dear. What happened to all those girls you used to spend time with? Your parties were always so full of those friends of yours. What changed?” Her voice was too cold to truly sound caring, and the  _ correct answer _ was clear to the young girl. _

_ She closed her eyes, stuck her nose up in the air, and spoke in the best impression of her mother, “I’m better off without them. Friends will only bring me down.” _

_ Her mother had grinned, a sinister smile reflecting the empty space where her soul should be. “That’s my girl.” _

_ Regina just hoped her mother couldn’t hear her crying in her room at night, the confusion at the scenario turning into despair. _

_ The stage of sadness at the new development at school was short lived. A few people would shove her, shoulder against shoulder, in the hallways, but claim it to be an accident through snickers. There was whispering behind her back that Regina was almost positive was built of fake whispering sounds rather than actual words, and the longer all this went on, the more irritated the young girl became. Irritated that she didn’t understand it, irritated because she didn’t deserve it, and irritated that it was happening at all. _

_ Eventually she started shoving back. She scowled in the direction of the fake whispers and glared at the students laughing in her direction. The problem was that now all her classmates knew they were getting to her, and that only fueled their bullying, which in turn, fueled Regina’s anger. _

_ She started feeling a buzzing just beneath the surface of her skin, almost as if it was spurred and driven by her emotions. It felt like something powerful and complex, but she just assumed it was all anger, that she could feel all of her emotions just as she could feel the clenching of her heart when it ached due to sadness or the way she could feel it soar when she laughed. She never thought it could be anything bigger than that. _

_ One day, Regina was in the bathroom at school, washing her hands and about to head to her next class when she looked up into the mirror, startling when she saw a few of her classmates behind her, smirking as they watched her. She intended to ignore them, knowing deep down that doing so was the best option, but she couldn’t stop the scoff that escaped her lips, and once it had, she followed it up with a “What do you want?” _

_ The only response she got was one girl grabbing her arm, pushing her into the wall behind them. Regina didn’t know what they planned to do, but she did know self defense, and if she knew how to fight off a vampire, she was pretty sure she could fight off a twelve year old. But the problem was that there were three of them, six arms tugging her hair, pushing her into the wall, covering her mouth and holding her arms down, making it impossible for her to fight back. _

_ They laughed at her struggle, and they laughed at the fire building in her eyes, and she felt that buzzing again under her skin and in her veins and it was so powerful that she felt like she would burn from the inside out. She was shaking and the girls were still laughing, taunting her with the kind of petty threats you only hear from pre-teen girls, and calling her names, and Regina could feel her anger in her blood, building and building until suddenly, the girls weren’t laughing anymore. _

_ The one holding down Regina’s hands was on her knees, doubled over, crying out in pain, and the other two were staring down at her in horror as she lifted up her hands, charred as if they had just been in a fire, the smell of burning flesh spreading through the bathroom.  _

_ Everyone was too shocked to speak. One of the girls ran out of the bathroom, presumably to find a teacher or the school nurse, while the other crouched down to be closer to the third one, trying to calm her down and coax her to the sink.  _

_ Regina stood against the wall, unable to tear her eyes away from the girl’s blistering hands until a wave of nausea hit her and she was brought back to the present, suddenly too aware of her own body. She glanced to her own hands, uninjured but a little red, the buzz she’d always assumed was her emotion was concentrated in her hands. She clenched her fists and felt a spark that made her jump, and the uninjured girl’s attention returned to her momentarily. _

_ “How,” the girl half whispered, half growled, and all Regina could do was shake her head, the movement making her feel nauseous again, to the point where she ran into the closest stall and emptying the contents of her stomach. _

_ She was still retching when a teacher came in to help the girl to an ambulance outside, and another led Regina to the school nurse. _

_ “We’ve called your mother,” the principal said as Regina sat on the nurse’s examination bench, her head leaning against the trash can resting on her lap, hands still tingling uncomfortably, “She expects you home as soon as possible.” _

_ “Am I expelled?” Regina asked, looking up just enough to get her answer with the man’s pitying look. _

_ “It’s for the best, Regina.” _

_ Her mother said the same thing to her when she got home. “It’s for the best, Regina. You said it yourself. You’re better off without them.” She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to ask what happened, why she felt like she was somehow the cause of the girl’s burns, but she was too afraid of the answer. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll get you a tutor, and you can have classes from home. We can adjust your curriculum in ways the school can’t to better suit your… strengths” _

_ Her  _ strengths _.  _

_ Whatever  _ that _ meant. _

_ It ended up meaning exactly what she thought it would. It was magic, and the tutor her mother hired for her was some kind of wizard that seemed to know just slightly too much about everything. Not to mention he gave Regina the creeps. _

_ When they met, he smiled down at her, extending a slimy looking hand towards her. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr....” she trailed off, realizing she didn’t know his name. _

_ “Carey,“ he said. “Mr. Carey. I’m an old friend of your mother’s.” And that was the first clue that he wasn’t just any tutor.  _

_ At first, all they did was pick up where Regina left off. They did English and grammar, math, history, and science, but then a new subject got added and things became more interesting. “So Regina, I hear you know about vampires.” She sighed deeply, but nodded. “Good. We’re going to be talking more about that.” _

_ The portions of her lessons on vampire education reminded her of the things her mother had always taught her. All of them pushed the idea that vampires weren’t necessarily evil, but could be. He taught her that some vampires, maybe even most, deserved to live, he taught her about the Slayer, and he taught her about souls, pushing the subject just along the line where magic came in, but never crossing it. _

_ It was a month later when she went to the study to start her daily sessions, and instead of finding Mr. Carey there, she found her mother, one leg over the other, arms crossed, waiting for her. “Hello, mother,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “Where’s Mr. Carey?” _

_ “I gave him the day off,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I think it’s about time we talked. Do you know what we need to talk about?” Regina shook her head. Having pushed her last incident from school out of her mind, she wracked her brain for anything she might’ve done wrong or a secret she’s been keeping.  _

_ “Your last day at school,” her mother started again. “Do you remember?” _

_ Regina flinched, and she suddenly felt that same energy bubbling up inside her, her hands heating as she remembered the anger and the cries of pain that followed. The thought of magic came back into her mind, the way her mother commanded spells with her hands and the way hands seemed to be magic’s vessel, and as if her mother could read her mind, she told her daughter the truth. _

_ “You have magic, dear.” _

_ Regina cried herself to sleep that night, wondering if she could use her magic to make it disappear. She’d seen her mother make many things vanish. Could she do the same to her magic?  _

_ Even though she didn’t know how to harness her magic, much less make anything disappear, she tried. But all she did was make her palms sweat. She passed out that night, drained from her failed attempts to magic away magic, and she woke up with tears still staining her face. _

_ When she saw Mr. Carey the next day, and he told her that she would start having magic lessons, she refused. She hated magic. She’d seen what it did to her mother, what it did to her by proxy. She wasn’t interested in selling her soul to it like it seemed her mother had, but when she fought with Cora over it, telling her just that, Cora had only laughed. _

_ “Don’t be ridiculous, Regina. I wouldn’t use  _ soul _ as currency. Besides, I already have everything I could ever need.” _

_ “Then why do  _ I _ need to learn magic? Why can’t I just forget about it?” _

_ “Regina, dear,” her mother said, resting a cold hand against her cheek. “I need you to be the most perfect you can be. I’ll get you there.” _

_ But Regina was only thirteen and never could have fathomed what the woman had in mind.  _

_ She put up with it for a year.  _ Put up with _ being used very lightly, considering she fought Mr. Carey on her lessons and fought her mother on everything. Both adults brushed it off as Regina  _ just being that age _ , but she knew that wasn’t the issue. _

_ The majority of her lessons were knowledge based. Carey taught her about innate magic versus acquired magic. He told her about the importance of knowing how to control it, which was the next step. He and her mother both insisted that Regina learn how to bring her powers forward when she needed them or to keep them idle, as well as learning the basics. Of all those things, the only one Regina cared about was suppressing it.  _

_ After a year, she just stopped altogether, pretending that the magic had just died out. She made a big show about it and everything, pretending to be upset when she couldn’t produce a fireball or turn off a light. Clearly, neither her mother nor Carey were convinced, but they didn’t question her or push it, and honestly that was the best she could have hoped for. _

_ She learned to erase the feeling of magic, burying it so deep down that she had almost forgotten about it herself, and she really would have if not for her mother’s own magic use, relentless against Regina in ways that weren’t  _ horrible _ but weren’t exactly acceptable either. _

_ Her disobedience was always met with magic, both when she was growing up and still now. Being held in place by invisible ropes, planted to the floor and unable to move, having her voice snatched from her throat. Cora was creative in her discipline, and all Regina thought was that the reminder that magic existed was punishment enough. _

_ Regina was fifteen when Cora brought the issue back up. _

_ “Regina, you’re a witch, and if you want to be my daughter, I need you to follow more closely in my footsteps. Some things I can let go, but this I cannot.” _

_ She groaned, “Mother, no. I don’t like magic. I don’t want to be a witch, and there’s nothing you can say that can convince me otherwise. No spell has ever been useful.”  _

_ Cora quirked an eyebrow in challenge. “Are you sure about that?” she asked, taking Regina’s hand. _

_ The teenager snatched it back, “Of course, I’m sure. I’m going to bed.” She’d stalked upstairs to her room, slamming the door behind her as she collapsed to the bed, too annoyed to try fighting off sleep.  _

_ When she woke up, everything was fine. She smiled at her mother, kissing her daintily on the cheek, grateful to have such a wonderful and loving mother.  _

_ It wasn’t until she lost her soul that she realized Cora had used a spell to alter her memories, painting a picture in her mind that she was the ultimate maternal figure, had never, and would never, wrong her daughter. That she was everything Regina had ever wanted and needed, no more and no less. Of course, Cora shattered that image herself when she confessed her vampire identity. _

_ She didn’t know about the spell, so all she could tell was that her mother had stopped pushing magic onto Regina, who had gratefully let herself forget how to use it or control it. Suppressing it came naturally, but the rest was impossible. It didn’t matter to her as long as she didn’t have to use it or even think about it, and since her mother gave up convincing her, she was able to keep it at a distance. _

_ For eight years, Cora didn’t so much as mention magic to her daughter, and she used it less around her the older Regina became, and by the time she was twenty-three, Regina was blissfully unaware of the magic that still existed inside her. _

_ But then on the night Regina was sired by her own mother, she was forced to think about magic again after all those years, her mother’s death triggering the end of Cora’s memory spell over her daughter and lowering the veil standing between Regina and the real memories her mother hid from her.  _

_ On top of losing her soulmate, their baby, her life, her soul, and her mother, learning the truth about her childhood hit hard. Her mother not only was coldly indifferent towards her, but she was a horrible parent, using magic against her own daughter and then lying about it to save face. The more she remembered, the more angry and the more satisfied Regina was at murdering her own mother. _

_ Being a soulless witch sounded like it made all the sense in the world, but Regina quivered at the thought. She didn’t want to be weak, or feel weak for that matter, but she couldn’t deny the fact that magic put her off, even as a vampire. It shook her to the core, and if she thought too hard about it, she could feel it crawling its way to the surface, threatening to burst from her. _

_ She tried even harder to suppress and forget, and as her life changed, and she married Leopold Snow and learned the truth, that Mary Margaret had ruined her life, she tried to forget even more, knowing that if she let herself, she would unleash all of it, destroying everything, including herself, in the process. _

_ She let herself forget. _

_ And she did. _

_ It wasn’t until the day Mary Margaret gave birth, the day Emma was born, that Regina remembered the existence of magic and its presence within her. _

_ She scooped up Snow and David’s baby like it was the most natural thing she’s ever done, taking her from the hospital and out into the world with the intention of killing her or dropping her on the side of the road somewhere, but instead, she had ended up at a bus station.  _

_ It wasn’t until the baby cried out, fussy and afraid, and Regina had brushed a cool finger across the baby’s cheek that she felt it. A surge of magic, swelling in her chest and in her fingertips, and while she knew it wasn’t the same burning anger she had felt that day, she knew it was magic.  _

_ It was a sign almost, that this baby couldn’t die, but it was also some sign of hope, something Regina was sure she would never understand. _

_ When she left the baby behind, she’d gone back to the bus, holding the blanket she had bought for her to her chest, feeling more lost as the distance grew between her and the baby.  _

_ She thought about the feeling of having a soul for the first time in years.  _

_ She thought she actually felt  _ soulled _ for a minute next to the magic. _

_ She thought that one day it might be back. The baby or her soul or magic, she wasn’t sure, but she knew that something was going to change. _

* * *

 

When she finishes the story, she peeks up at her girlfriend tentatively, wary of her reaction, but Emma just smiles at her, not letting go. “Regina, I’m glad you told me. You know I love every part of you, right? Even the parts you don’t like.”

“You remember that I’ve killed people, yes? Slayers? Your mother?”

“Yeah, and I’ve stolen from small businesses, started fist fights, had to redo my junior year, and I even set my former foster family’s house on fire. No one’s perfect. And hey, it could be worse. You could be your mom,” Emma points out.

The vampire laughs, and it comes out every bit of uneasy as she feels. “Emma, I’m afraid,” she whispers.

“About magic?” Regina nods. “When was the last time you used it?”

“I used it to take care of Daniel’s body, the day I was sired. But that was the last time.”

“Wow,” Emma breathes. She pulls back so she has a better look at Regina but keeping a hold on her hands, and the vampire watches her thumbs as they brush lightly against her skin. “Regina,” she starts, meeting her gaze for a second before they both look back down. “I know you might not want to, but I think you should start thinking about it again.”

The vampire’s eyes go wide, and Emma gives her an apologetic grimace before continuing. “Look, I’m not saying you need to  _ use _ magic or anything, but maybe you could talk to the Apprentice. Maybe he can help. He said your magic was strong. If that’s true, I think you should understand it better, and he’d be able to teach you better than your mother or any of her friends.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Regina sighs, thinking it over. She’d wrongly assumed her magic had been shrinking the longer she held it in, but that was clearly not the case. With no control over her apparently strong innate magic, she could be a danger to others or to herself. To Emma. “I think… I think I’ll talk to him.”

“I can be in there with you if you want. Totally your call.”

The vampire thinks on it for a moment. “What if he says something you don’t like?”

Emma laughs. “Regina.”

She waits for her to continue but she says nothing else, so finally she asks, “What?”

“What did I just tell you?” Regina blinks, staring at her girlfriend, her words going right over her head. Emma laughs at her blank stare before kissing her. “I love every part of you. Everything about you is my favorite thing, and you are my favorite person.” Regina opens her mouth, but Emma speaks first. “Vampire, I mean.” 

Regina rolls her eyes, fighting back a laugh. “You’re an idiot,” she kisses Emma again, lingering against her lips for a moment, intending to pull back, but she instead loses herself, continuing the kiss. Emma laughs against her, putting a hand to Regina’s face, her other somewhere behind the brunette, and Regina jumps ever so slightly in surprise when she feels Emma climb onto her lap, one leg on either side of her.

Emma brings her other hand to Regina’s cheek, where both now rest, as she slows the kiss, leaving small, gentle pecks against her girlfriend’s lips that make Regina feel dizzy. The blonde is the first to pull away as she leans back, still straddling Regina. She runs a hand through Regina’s hair, brushing it from her face. “You’re so beautiful.”

“You  _ always _ tell me that.”

“Cause it’s  _ always _ true.”

“I love you,” Regina says. 

“I love you,” Emma responds with a final kiss, broken when a burst of laughter leaves her lips. “I can’t believe we made out on the Apprentice’s couch. We should probably go back.”

Regina sighs, “I suppose we should.” She whines a little when Emma climbs off of her, but she wishes she hadn’t. Emma turns to smirk at her. “Ugh, great. Like you need another ego boost.”

“I can’t help the way I turn you on, Regina.”

“Thank god,” the vampire mutters. Emma snickers, taking her hand and pulling her up, and together they walk back to the back room, Emma gripping Regina’s hand the whole way back.

When they open the door, they’re surprised to see August wielding some kind of a bright glowing orb in his hand, David staring with intrigue, an impressed look on The Apprentice’s face. August turns to them and his smile widens, “You guys will never believe it.”

“I beg to differ,” Regina comments, inching cautiously into the room. “You have an inherent ability to perform magic? Or is it innate?”

The Apprentice regards her carefully before answering for him. “Innate magic is rare. Only a few people alive have it.” Regina snorts. “You know what I mean,” he says, a soft smile dancing on his lips. “The boy has a gift. Magic comes naturally to him. Almost as naturally as it would come to you, if you were to embrace it.”

Regina inhales sharply, eyes shifting to David and August before she looks down, sparing a glance to Emma along the way. The blonde clears her throat. “Um, hey, Dad, August? Did you guys wanna check out that magic shop next door? Maybe you could find some books that could help us out?”

The light in August’s hand disappears as he turns excitedly to David. “Oh my god, can we?” 

The older man chuckles. “If we’re finished here, sure.” He looks to The Apprentice who gives them a slow nod. David grins, “We’ll be in touch.” On the way out he stops by Regina, putting a firm and fatherly hand on her shoulder and gives her a smile, shining through his eyes and somehow successfully making Regina feel less anxious about the entire situation. Emma squeezes her hand.

The Apprentice smiles at them in a gentle elderly man way before moving around to sit at a round table, gesturing at two seats across from him. “I’d love to discuss this, if you’re open to the idea. I understand you must be apprehensive.”

“Yeah that’s one word for it,” Regina mumbles, not moving towards him. “I think we should talk, but I’m not sure…” She takes a deep breath, rolling her eyes at herself. “I hate magic,” she finally admits after a long moment.

The old man nods, taking in her confession at face value, something unreadable in his eyes. “Would you be willing to talk to me about it?”

Emma gives her hand another squeeze, and Regina looks to her, finding comfort in her eyes, giving her the encouraging boost she needs to nod. “Yes.” She doesn’t step closer, so the Apprentice gestures once again, and Emma leads her to the table, scooting her chair closer to Regina’s so she can wrap an arm around her waist.

The Apprentice chuckles. “You two are quite the couple.”

Regina isn’t so sure she should smile. She doesn’t know what his intentions are, but his comment puts her on the defense. Emma must have felt her tense up because she smiles and says, “Yeah, I know. Vampire Slayer and vampire? Who would have thought? But I love her. She’s my True Love,” she says through a smile, pressing a goofy and sloppy kiss to Regina’s cheek. The vampire rolls her eyes, but she can’t really be annoyed or embarrassed when she has the cutest girlfriend. 

The man across from them is smiling, so she decides he may not have had any ulterior motives with his potentially harmless comment. “I know,” he says, and it’s not what either of them are expecting.

“You do?” Emma asks, eyes wide. “Oh, did David tell you? Or August? I bet it was August. Typical brother stuff. He likes to make fun of me for  _ everything _ . I can’t wait until he starts dating someone and then I can get back at him for all of it.”

The Apprentice laughs, longer than Regina thinks is necessary. Emma’s very silly, and her vendetta against August is also very silly, but it doesn’t go beyond that. It maybe deserves a solid chuckle, but her chuckle is long over when the man’s resumes. He finally stops when she raises an eyebrow. “I wrote the prophecy.” At the wide eyed response he gets, he elaborates, “I have the gift of foresight.”

“Y-you do?” Regina manages to ask.

“Actually, that’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Wait. Wait wait wait, wait.” Emma’s eyes are bright with excitement, a suspicious smile spreading across her face, and Regina doesn’t like the looks of it. Well, she  _ loves _ the look of it, but she doesn’t like where it’s taking her. “You  _ wrote _ the prophecy? Have you written others? Do you know stuff about our future?” She dances a little in her seat, squealing, “Oh my god, this is so cool.”

“I do, but I can’t tell you details. That could mess up everything.”

“Wait!” Emma interrupts with another question. “Have you written other prophecies? Can you tell us about any of them? Prophecies are the coolest.”

“Emma…” Regina whispers in warning.

“Sorry,” Emma deflates, “It’s just… I’m really interested in this stuff. Or did you already know that?” she asks, perking up again, her wide eyes on the Apprentice.

“No,” the man chuckles, “But I can tell now. If you’d like we can talk about prophecies sometime -- but no specifics,” he adds seriously. “However, I’d like to talk about magic first, with Regina,” he says, meeting her eye before looking back at Emma. “Is that alright?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Emma smiles, her fingers grazing Regina’s side as she shoots her another encouraging smile. The vampire melts a little, feeling at ease once again.

“Regina?” he asks, seeking her approval with a pointed glance.

She nods, “I’m ready. What did you want to talk about… specifically? Do you have questions... comments... concerns…?”

“Ah… all three actually.”

“Oh.”

“Can you tell me a little bit about why you hate magic?”

Regina sighs. Having just gone over this with Emma, she isn’t thrilled to be bringing it up again. The one thing she had pushed from her mind more than anything else for the last couple of decades was now coming up more frequently than she was ready for, but she didn’t have much of a choice. “My mother,” she says.

She leaves it at that, if anything to get a read on the Apprentice and what he may or may not know about her. He makes a face, “Cora Mills. She was quite the character. I take it your distaste for magic comes from her abuse of it.”

Regina nods, a dark expression settling in her features. “She used it against me, and she encouraged me to practice it and be an active witch like she was, but I never wanted to. I didn’t want to be anything like her. But when I found out I had it…”

“You hurt someone,” the Apprentice says. It isn’t a question.

“Yes,” Regina says slowly. “I took lessons so I could suppress it, but that’s all I ever wanted to do. I quit learning when I could keep my magic dormant, so I wouldn’t use it.”

“And you never use it?”

“No,” she answers. “I’ve only used it once since… since my sire. For Daniel. And before that, I went almost ten years without it.” The Apprentice chuckles again, shaking his head. “What?” Regina asks, mildly annoyed that he’s laughing. She doesn’t find any of this funny.

“You say you haven’t used magic…”

“I haven’t.”

“But you have.” 

The words hit Regina, heavy like the burden of magic itself, and she’s shaking her head at him, brows creased. “No…. No, I haven’t.” She swallows and feels Emma shifting next to her. “I mean, if you’re counting True Love’s Kiss, then yes, I have, but that wasn’t intentional magic. It was prophesied. It was both of us. It wasn’t just me performing magic alone.” Emma’s lack of joke lets her know this is serious, more than the shakiness in her voice and the pounding of her usually still heart already do.

“Regina, when you were with Emma before True Love’s Kiss restored your soul, what do you remember feeling?”

“What?” She’s thrown, not understanding the relevance.

“How did Emma make you feel before you had your soul back?”

“Um…”

“You’ve got this, Gina,” Emma encourages, squeezing her side enough to make Regina smile, but not so much that it tickles,  _ thank god _ .

“She made me feel warm. Sometimes I would forget I was a vampire, and she would look at me and my heart would beat, hard. She would touch me and I would feel dizzy.” Regina drifts off, remembering the way that Emma affected her, thinking about how it enhanced when her soul was restored, and how she hopes it doesn’t go away.

“Do you know what that was?” the Apprentice asks.

“I don’t know what you mean…”

“That was magic.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When you hurt that girl,” Regina winces slightly, “you were angry. When you suppressed your magic, you were afraid and ashamed. When you healed yourself kissing Emma, you were in love. Your magic is driven by your emotions. You’ve been using it your entire life.”

Part of her wants to cry, full of self-loathing and disgust, but part of her feels relieved. If she’s been using magic all this time, it must not be that bad, not like her mother’s. 

“Wait,” Emma says, interrupting again. Regina welcomes the distraction, “You mean, Regina healed herself? Our True Love’s Kiss didn’t do it?”

“In a way it did, but the healing was done solely by Regina, yes.”

“Dammit,” Emma grumbles, leaning back in her chair, “I thought I was just a  _ really _ good kisser.” The vampire snorts. “Hey! I am, and you know it.”

The Apprentice looks moderately uncomfortable, but continues. “Regina, I know you’re not interested in using magic, but you need to be able to control it. You of all people should know how dangerous it can be. I don’t want to see anyone getting hurt.”

“So this is where the concern part comes in, right?”

“I’m serious.”

“Is there a prophecy?” Emma asks.

“Yes,” he answers, simple and blunt. Regina’s eyes widen, willing him to elaborate. “If you don’t learn to control it, something terrible will happen.”

“But if it’s a prophecy, doesn’t that mean it’ll happen regardless?” Emma asks, voice unsure.

The Apprentice shakes his head, “I don’t always know all the details. The prophecy I’m thinking of is dependant on circumstance. It’s one event with two possible outcomes. I don’t know how the outcomes are determined, but I believe the key is your control.”

“What happens if I don’t practice magic? If I don’t get control over it?”

He exhales deeply, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you. I can’t reveal too much. But I can assure you that it’s serious.”

“Will anyone get hurt? Will Emma get hurt?” Regina asks, if Emma could be hurt, and practicing magic could avoid that, she knew what her answer would be.

“People will die. That could include Emma.”

She feels Emma’s fingers in her waist. She hears the soft inhale and the way her heart rate picks up so subtly, she’s sure she wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t so in tune with Emma’s heart. She swallows before giving The Apprentice a firm nod.

“I’ll do it.”

* * *

 

They make a plan for Regina to come back some nights for lessons, maybe working it out with August so they could go together. “Me too!” Emma exclaims with the promise of prophecy talk on her next visit. “ _ Maybe, _ ” Regina had said, smiling when Emma huffs, crossing her arms and mumbling to herself.

She cheers up by the time they make it to the car, pestering August for all the details of what he and David and the Apprentice did while she and Regina were gone.

He tells them about discovering his gift. He’d accidentally read an incantation from one of the Apprentice’s books and made a rabbit appear in David’s lap, startling the poor man into a standing position and sending the bunny tumbling to the floor. August had saved it with a levitation spell he still doesn’t know how he achieved, and the Apprentice was so impressed that he offered August free magic lessons.

“So why don’t we have a bunny with us?” Emma demands to know.

August snorts, “David was scared of it.”

“It’s eyes were  _ red _ . They were staring into my soul!”

Emma laughs at her dad’s expense before looking to her brother. “So you’re gonna be a wizard?”

“Yep!” August beams back at them, twisted in the passenger seat for a better angle.

“What about you, Dad?”

“Oh…” David starts. “I don’t know. I can do spells, but I probably won’t be a  _ wizard _ . I don’t have the strength for that. But it’s fine,” he admits, nodding. “All I really want is to help Snow get her memories back, and if we need a spell to do that, we have August and…” He glances into the rearview mirror nervously until he remembers he can’t see Regina that way. “Well, we can figure it out.”

“Do you know how to get them back?” 

“We got some stuff from the magic shop. We’re gonna look into it more when we get back, that way your mother can be involved as well. I’m sure Ruby would like to see what we got, too. Some of the books talk about transformative magic.”

“Neal, too,” August adds. “He would also be interested. We picked out a book for him as well. You know how he is. Reads what he wants,” he says with a laugh and Emma laughs with him.

Regina’s eyes are locked on the window, taking in the sunlit world from behind the tinted windows. It’s so weird being able to see anything in the daytime for longer than a glance. She absentmindedly plays with Emma’s fingers as the blonde’s hand rests in her lap. Her heart swells when she sees her girlfriend beaming at her from her peripheral vision. She wonders if it’s magic or just a feeling. She wonders if there’s a difference.

“You’re awfully quiet, Regina,” David says from the driver’s seat. She looks up to see him looking for her again in the mirror and she rolls her eyes, both at his stupidity and his comment.

“Yes, well, it’s been one of those days.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly,” Regina says after a short silence. “I might be taking lessons with August,” she decides to admit. “He says control is important. He says he knows some things.”

“He has foresight!” Emma announces, her heart rate picking up again. “He writes prophesies! Like mine and Regina’s True Love’s Kiss! He  _ really wrote that _ !”

“Really?” David asks. “Huh.”

“What?” Regina doesn’t like the sound of that.

“Nothing,” he answers unhelpfully. “You know, I asked him about aging,” he changes the subject. He starts talking about a potion he can take that slows his aging based on motive, so his love for Snow will be keeping him alive at a consistent age. Regina decides then to tune him out for the remainder of the car ride.

When they make it back to their house, Regina bypasses all questions and makes a beeline for Emma’s room, stripping to climb into her girlfriend’s pajamas first, her bed second. She curls up alone for a while, listening to the excited chatter coming from downstairs. She hates feeling lonely like she does at her own place, but here, she never feels that. She knows there are others around her, even if they aren’t  _ with _ her, and she loves the comfort the constant presence brings her.

She hears the door creak open eventually, and she’s surprised, the commotion still at the same level downstairs. She hears some rustling around before the weight on the bed shifts, and she feels Emma slipping into the covers behind her, wrapping her body into Regina’s and looping an arm around her stomach. “My little spoon,” she whispers with a smile, pressing her lips to Regina’s back, just between her shoulders. “Are you feeling okay?”

“How’d you know I was still awake?” Regina questions.

She feels Emma shrug. “I just know you.”

“So then you don’t really need me to answer that question.”

Emma sighs into Regina’s neck. “I know you don’t like magic, and you’re really worried about this, but I really think it’s going to be fine. You can use your magic on patrols, and if you can use healing, that would be really nice in case I ever get hurt.”

The vampire turns her head to glare at her girlfriend. “Don’t even say that.”

“But it’s true,” she points out.

“I know, but I don’t like to think about it.”

They lie together in silence for an indeterminable length of time, both lost in thought. Regina is torn, and she keeps having to remind herself that she’s learning magic to save Emma, to protect her, but she can’t help but feel like that isn’t quite true. She shakes it off, believing that it’s her ingrained dislike and distrust of magic that makes her feel that way.

“Do you trust me?” Regina asks, breaking the silence.

“You know I do,” the blonde answers, her voice confident. “You  _ and _ your magic. I bet you’re gonna be a great witch. Maybe you can even do a spell that lets you walk around in the sun. Or maybe you’ll be able to magic my homework to completion,” she chuckles.

But Regina isn’t in a joking mood. “Emma, magic is dangerous.”

“Yeah, but, Gina, you gotta think, you never know what could happen.”

It’s an accurate statement, and it’s clear that Emma isn’t thinking about it in as serious a light as Regina. Emma is thinking that  _ anything is possible _ , being more optimistic than the vampire could ever hope to be, and Regina takes her words more seriously than they were meant.

No one knows what could happen.

But that’s what scares her the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you think! or if you have a favorite anything! or what you hope happens! or what you hope doesn't! (seriously it's about to get serious, I know this is a slow start but it's going to be worth it and i CANT WAIT to share it with you guys)
> 
> thank you for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've seen btvs, you're gonna have A TimeTM with this chapter. i'm more than sure you will either way, but this chapter is full of buffy references and I'm excited about it. I hope you like it. things are finally picking up.
> 
> (the prophecy is borrowed directly from btvs, so I definitely can't take credit for it)
> 
> (did I already say I messed up the timeline and Emma's birthday is in the summer and not in october? oops)

The only two things Emma talks about for the next week are prophecies and her birthday, and Regina isn’t sure which she wants to talk about least.

For one, Emma’s obsession with prophecies and all the future’s possibilities makes the vampire uneasy, and she finds herself speechless whenever Emma brings it up. What is there to talk about besides hypothesizing and making up theories about the future? She’s surprised Emma doesn’t have anxiety about it because she certainly does.

Second, and most importantly, she’s planning a surprise party for Emma’s birthday and is too excited to trust herself not to spoil it. She blacklists Emma’s birthday as a topic of conversation, and dreads every conversation with her girlfriend as each day passes and her birthday gets closer.

She starts trying to sleep at her place without Emma, just to avoid a slip up, but then Emma will pout, making that face Regina doesn’t know how to say no to, and say “But, Gina, it’s my birthday week. You  _ have _ to stay with me.”

It works every time.

But when Emma snuggles up to her and falls asleep, snoring lightly against her chest, Regina’s glad she isn’t anywhere else.

Until the next morning when the Slayer wakes up, announcing the countdown until her birthday and insisting a kiss for every day remaining. “Make sure they get longer, since I’m getting less every day. I don’t want to miss out.”

“You know that’s just how the passing of time works right?” Emma shrugs, unfazed by the concept. “Are you gonna make me give you nineteen kisses on your birthday?” Regina asks, already knowing the answer.

She’s surprised when Emma looks at her, mouth agape, “Wow, that’s a good idea! I can’t believe I never thought of that.” She grins, bringing the vampire’s lips to hers. “Thanks, Regina.” The brunette smiles, kissing her again, the most effective way to avoid conversation altogether.

She’s surprised again when Emma breaks the kiss with a giddy grin, “I can’t wait for  _ your _ birthday.” 

Regina just shakes her head, “You’re unbelievable.” 

“You still owe me another kiss.”

“Yeah, you’ll need the practice if you want to give me that many kisses on my birthday,” Regina jokes.

“How many is that again?”

“Ha! Nice try, Emma. It’s twenty-three.”

The blonde tries to protest, but Regina captures her lips before she can, smirking as Emma relaxes in her arms, moans into her mouth, and kisses her back, birthday talk long forgotten.

She’s suspiciously quiet the day her birthday arrives, smiling a lot and saying very little, and if Regina weren’t so suspicious, she’d be relieved. Given her sunlight predicament, she’s not the one in charge of the actual setup, though she’s planned the whole thing so far. 

Regina’s grumbly about handing her plans over, but she lets it go fairly quickly. It does make sense after all, and who is she to complain about being forced to spend all day with her girlfriend? Yeah, maybe she is afraid of ruining the surprise, but it’s not like she could do worse than David and Mary Margaret would have.

So she trades with them, letting Snow bake and do whatever things she can do from home, while David gets everything set up. The party is to take place in a secret back room of Underbrooke that Ruby had managed to secure for them. It was interesting to learn that the one night stand who turned her into a werewolf is one of the managers at Underbrooke. At least he’d have some kind of a handle on the supernatural happenings around the nightclub, Regina thinks.

As for everyone else, Ruby opts to help David at Underbrooke, while Neal and August hang out at the house with Snow. Regina tugs Emma from the house that morning before sunrise all the way to her place, where they fall back in bed together.

She definitely got the best job, distracting Emma.

And as she lies the blonde on the bed beneath her, gently pulling her clothes off and leaving light kisses all over her body, fingertips brushing her porcelain skin, she’s certainly distracting her. 

Emma moans underneath her, back arching when Regina’s fingertips linger over her hips, slowing as they near the place she wants Regina’s touch the most, but the vampire has too much fun teasing, and she doesn’t let up. 

She revels in the sharp breaths, the little squeaks, and the soft whimpers that the blonde can’t hold back, and with her too gentle strokes, Emma’s sensitivity spikes, along with her heart rate, and her noises start to sound like Regina’s name until they’re just “Regina, please” and “Regina, I need you” and “baby, I want you,” and that’s when the vampire finally touches her, just enough to make Emma squirm and then enough until her words turn back into desperate noises.

Regina enters her in time to feel her walls tighten around her fingers, Emma crying out in a combination of Regina’s name and a burst of awed laughter, and the vampire loves that she can make Emma feel this good. She slows her movements before bringing her hand around Emma’s back, turning her to her side and pulling her flush against her. She brushes some hair from Emma’s face, sticky with a thin layer of sweat and leaves a kiss to her forehead, another to her nose, and a third to her lips.

The Slayer’s eyes are closed, but when she smiles, Regina knows it’s at her.

“Happy Birthday, my love.”

* * *

 

They sleep most of the day away, and Regina thinks it’s good considering how much Emma loves sleep. She wants this to be her best birthday ever, and Emma’s insistent  _ it won’t be hard to top, like, at all _ doesn’t stop Regina from making sure it really is. 

“What’s everyone else doing?” Emma asks when they’ve stumbled downstairs, scantily clad, only to curl up together again on the couch.

It’s the inevitable question Regina has been waiting for, the one she’s been planning an answer to, but now that Emma’s asking it, she has no idea what the answer is. “Uh… they’re, um…” Emma turns her head to give the vampire a quizzical look, and Regina already knows it’s game over. She’s not one to trip over her words, and her girlfriend knows it. “You know, I don’t know. I haven’t heard from them.” 

_ Nice save _ , she thinks to herself, feeling proud until Emma quirks a brow and asks, “Then who have you been texting?” Regina pales.  _ Of course _ Emma noticed that. She’s not stupid.

“Just… one of my vampire friends.” 

It’s the worst lie she’s ever told, so she’s already coming up with something better to say when Emma responds with a shrug and a “Oh, okay,” before she changes the subject, talking about this movie she wants to watch, but Regina isn’t listening. 

The subject is dropped so Regina ought to leave it alone, but she’s so shocked that Emma actually believes she has vampire friends when she obviously doesn’t, that she has to enlighten her  _ just to find out _ if Emma actually thought that or was just messing with her. “Emma,” she interrupts, “I don’t  _ have _ vampire friends.”

“Oh,” Emma says, brow furrowing.

_ Oh my god.  _ “Oh my god,” Regina repeats out loud. “You believed that?” Emma gives her another shrug, this one more like an  _ I guess _ than an  _ oh okay _ , and Regina laughs. “I was texting August. He couldn’t decide on what to get you for your birthday.”

“I told him not to get me anything,” Emma says, and if Regina hadn’t  _ actually _ texted August about it before, she would have been panicking.

“Yes, well, you know him.” Emma grunts. “We want you to have--”

“I know. The best birthday. But seriously, Gina, this is already the best birthday I’ve ever had, and we haven’t even done anything.”

“Well, maybe  _ you _ haven’t….”

Emma snorts, “Shut up, Regina, you know what I mean. Besides…” She turns to straddle the vampire. “You know if you want a turn, I’d be more than happy to oblige.” She presses her lips to Regina’s neck starting, trailing down to her pulse point and giving it a little nip. “Are you hungry?” she murmurs against the skin.

Regina groans. She’s supposed to have Emma at Underbrooke in an hour, and neither of them are even remotely ready to leave the house. “As much as I want you, Emma, we can’t right now.”

“It’s my birthday,” Emma reminds her as she sucks lightly on the vampire’s earlobe. “I make the rules.”

“Fuck,” Regina unintentionally mutters. This girl is going to be the death of her. Well, the second death of her. She laughs grimly to herself, breaking Emma’s attention to where her hands were sliding up Regina’s bare sides.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’re going to kill me. You’re the sun that lights my world, Emma.” She says it so seriously, the joke shrinking back in favor of the sentiment. “You’re my sun, and you’re going to kill me.” She lets out a heavy laugh, something about the words and how she ended up saying them nagging at her, but the feeling doesn’t shake until Emma smiles and presses an innocent kiss to her lips

“I love you.”

* * *

 

Getting Emma ready to leave isn’t as hard as Regina thinks it will be.

“I want to take you somewhere special,” she says with a kiss, and it’s perfect how the statement’s vagueness is covered up by how sweet and mushy it sounds when she says it. Emma practically melts, and she’s so excited that she doesn’t ask any questions.

Snow had thought ahead, taking things into consideration that Regina would have missed, and she’d had the vampire buy Emma a special dress for her birthday, long, white, simple, and elegant. It would look beautiful on her. (“Keep it in your closet for her birthday,” Snow had told her. “That way when you’re both getting ready, she won’t insist on going home to change.” 

“Good thinking,” Regina said, applauding Snow on her planning. Maybe the two of them made a good team after all.)

When it’s the first thing Emma says, (“Wait, I need to go home first! All my clothes are there!”) Regina is quick to quell her concerns, pulling the dress from her closet, and reveling in the look that crosses Emma’s face as she admires the garment in front of her. 

“Regina, oh my god. It’s beautiful. Did you… you must have spent a fortune on this.”

“Hardly,” Regina dismisses. “Put it on.”

Emma smiles at her, bright and wide before ushering Regina from the room. “It’s gotta be a surprise. You can’t see me wearing it yet.”

“It’s not a wedding dress, Emma,” Regina mumbles as her girlfriend uses her Slayer strength to force the stubborn vampire out. She rolls her eyes, “Don’t take too long okay? You’re not the only one who needs to get ready.”

After several minutes, Emma’s voice calls out from right behind the door, “Close your eyes, okay?” 

“Fine,” Regina obliges. She feels her heart beating with anticipation.

“Are they closed?” 

“Yes…”

“Are you sure?” Regina huffs, about to sass her girlfriend when she hears Emma’s laugh. “I’m kidding.”

“You better be glad I love you. Now, if you’re kidding, please open the door.”

She hears it open, feels the movement as Emma takes her hands and leads her back into the room. Emma’s heart is beating hard and fast, and Regina searches for Emma’s face with her hand, cupping it gently when she does. “Emma, there’s no reason to be nervous.”

She hears Emma blush, “Sometimes I forget you can hear that.”

Regina laughs. “It’s very loud.”

“Sorry, I’m just excited.” She takes a step away, and Regina’s breath hitches. “Okay, you can look now.”

The vampire opens her eyes and definitely stops breathing. Emma is standing across from her, a shy smile on her face. The dress fits her perfectly, draping from her torso in waves down to her feet, the white of the dress making her delicate skin look softer than usual. Her hair curls naturally, falling onto her shoulders and glowing as bright as her eyes.

When Regina finds her breath again, she takes a step back to Emma. “You look…” she struggles to think of a good enough word before she settles on, “effulgent.”

Emma beams. “So what are you going to wear?”

“You’ll see,” she winks, pushing Emma out of the room this time. She locks the door as soon as she closes it and smiles to herself when she hears Emma rattling the doorknob, protesting her exile. “It’s only fair!” Regina calls out as she gets ready, taking less time than Emma, and just opening the door without making the reveal into a big deal.

Her girlfriend gasps, eyes taking in all of Regina. She’s wearing a long black dress, the yin to Emma’s yang, that hugs the curves of her body perfectly, and it isn’t long before Emma’s hands are on her hips and pulling her in for a kiss. “You’re stunning, Regina. We’re going to be the hottest couple there.” Emma’s grin fades into confusion. “Where is  _ there _ anyway?”

“You’ll see.”

When they’re both completely ready, Regina leads Emma outside, where August is waiting to chauffeur them to Underbrooke. Emma snorts. “Really, Gina?  _ August _ is driving? His car is the worst out of everyone’s  _ and _ he makes fun of me the most.”

August shrugs as he opens the door to the backseat for them, “Can’t argue with that.”

“Which?” Emma asks, glaring at him as she slides in.

He just laughs.

Regina spends most of the drive trying to keep Emma from looking out the window, which means a lot of playing with her hair, gentle strokes to her neck, and firm squeezes against her thigh, all of which make her eyes flutter closed. It’s perfect because none of these actions stand out or make August overtly uncomfortable, that is until Regina clutches Emma’s thigh a little too high up and she lets out the kind of noise that isn’t usually made in the presence of anyone but her. August clears his throat and Regina laughs at the amount of blushing that happens from the two siblings.

“That wasn’t funny,” Emma mumbles, looking down. Regina laughs again. At least Emma isn’t looking out the window, catching onto any secret plans.

August pulls around to the back of Underbrooke, and their plan to keep the location a secret proves its success when Emma gets out of the car and glances around. “Where are we?” There’s a faint hint of recognition in her eyes that hasn’t totally registered yet, and by the time it does, they’re already walking inside. “Surprise!” Emma jumps, immediately latching onto Regina’s arm and using her as a human shield, well, a  _ vampire _ shield.

“Holy shit--” she says, a smile breaking through the startle as she takes in everything. Everyone has done an excellent job. There’s a giant cake, too big for their small group, but it’s perfect given the size of Emma’s eyes as she looks at it, balloons and streamers everywhere. The room itself looks depressing, but the decorations brighten it considerably, and she’s not talking about the little ice cream cone string lights lining the small space.

“Wow, David, you did a great job with decorations,” Regina starts. “I must say, I didn’t really have high hopes for you, but--”

“Yeeeaah, this was all Snow’s doing,” David admits.

Emma smiles at her mom, “Did you make the cake too?”

“Of course, sweetie! It’s funfetti.” Emma squeals.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Snow,” Regina says, smiling at the other vampire.

She chuckles, “Yeah, let’s just hope this goes better than the last time I did something like this.” There’s a heavy tension in the room, and it takes Regina a minute to realize that  _ the last time _ was the school’s winter formal.

“Oh.”

“Yeah…” Snow stares off for a moment. “Anyway, we’ve both earned our souls now, so I think we’re all safe. Besides,” she says, voice cheering considerably. “It’s my baby girl’s birthday.”

“Mom, no,” Emma laughs as she tries to worm her way out of Snow’s embrace. She ends up actually returning it before giving her dad the same grateful courtesy. “This is so great, guys. Thank you.”

“It was Regina’s idea,” Snow tells her, giving the other vampire full credit.

She blushes, deflecting some of the credit back. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she points out. “Any of you.” She turns back to Emma and taking her hand. “I hope you like it.”

“I love it,” Emma smiles. “I love you.”

* * *

 

Emma’s party is undoubtedly a success. The tension that usually exists among them, either due to having to be on guard, fight vampires, or trying to figure out missing information that could be potentially threatening seems to have evaporated, leaving everyone all smiles and laughter, making jokes at each other’s expense and enjoying each other’s company without any evil vampires getting in the way of it. 

As Regina watches her girlfriend’s banter with her friends and listens to Snow’s laughter, it’s clear that this event is everything they needed. She hasn’t seen Snow look this relaxed in  _ decades _ , and the smile on Emma’s face is unburdened by worry and the weight she always carries, responsible for more than a nineteen year old ought to be responsible for. 

Snow catches her watching Emma, and she makes her way over to her, bumping their shoulders together with a playful smile. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Making her happy.” Regina regards the woman for a moment. She knows she’s serious and that she means it, but given the slow recovery of her damaged relationship with Snow, her doubts are certainly there. She seems to sense it, resting a hand on Regina’s arm. “I mean it, Regina. I’m really glad that you found each other.”

“I was only able to because of you.”

Snow cocks her head, “Actually, I think it was David, wasn’t it? Except he didn’t know…”

“No, it was his sleazy assistant,” Regina laughs. “Gold, I think his name was.”

“Gold…” Snow repeats.

“Yeah, some kind of dumb name like that.” She doesn’t think anything of it, but when she hears the sudden heart beat of the woman next to her, it’s clear that  _ she _ does. “Snow?” Regina asks tentatively, watching her expression go from confused to on edge.

“That name. It sounds familiar… I think--”

She’s interrupted by a loud crash to their right and the room is suddenly filled with twice as many people as it was before, their faces indicative of their species, and Regina doesn’t hesitate before moving to Emma’s side, shielding her. “Regina, c’mon, I’m the  _ Slayer _ ,” Emma hisses from behind her.

The vampire shushes her. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.” She looks from vampire to vampire, trying to find a familiar face, but one doesn’t stand out, not until they all turn just slightly to the door they all burst through that leads to Underbrooke’s main room, where a guy slinks in, leather clad and tacky, looking like a douche with guyliner and gelled hair that flops in his face trying (and failing) to achieve a messy look. “I knew it. I fucking knew it,” Regina mutters as she recognizes him from the last time they were at Underbrooke.

“Pleased to see you too,” he smirks, sauntering towards her. He’s ignoring everyone else in the room, which includes Regina as soon as he meets Emma’s gaze. “Even better to see you,” he says as he steps to get a better look at Emma, who moves around Regina.

“Fuck off.”

He hums, “I don’t think so actually. I’m here for a reason.”

“Leave her out of it,” Regina growls, resuming her position in front of Emma, actually pushing her back this time, hoping to relay the message to Emma, loud and clear, that Slayer or not, she needs to let Regina handle this.

The guy gives her a look, “Who said she had anything to do with it at all? Don’t make assumptions. Ugly habit.” He steps back, taking in the room. “Lovely setup. I can tell this was Snow’s doing, wasn’t it.” He turns to the other vampire. “I can’t believe you haven’t even said hello to me. After all that we’ve been through together.” 

Regina can hear Snow’s heart thumping from across the room as the vampire steps towards her until they’re face to face. He brushes a hand down her face. David flinches but remains in place, much to Regina’s relief. “I don’t know you,” Snow tells the guy.

He ignores her comment, seemingly in a trance as he observes her. “You look so different with a soul,” he says before he snaps out of it, turning back towards Regina and the others across the room. She glances at the other teenagers behind her. Their eyes are all wide, but they’re on guard, prepared for anything, only without weapons.  _ Did anyone bring any weapons?  _ “The name’s Killian. Since you’ve already forgotten. Though, that’s not  _ my  _ fault. I’ll make sure you don’t forget again.” He looks towards the six or so vampires that came in before him and jerks his head slightly, as if to give a signal.

They all move around the sides of the room, bringing everybody into a solitary cluster. Regina nudges Neal behind her protectively, back where she had pushed Emma earlier, and she steps ahead, putting her just slightly in front of August and Ruby. She sees Snow next to her doing the same with David.

Killian chuckles. “Vampires protecting humans from more vampires. How sweet.” 

Ruby clears her throat and Killian’s eyes dart to her. “Sorry, I forgot about the dog. I could smell you from outside.” She scoffs and Regina shoots her a warning glare.

“Why are you here?” Snow demands.

“I missed you, of course,” he says with a sarcastic laugh. “No, but really. We were a dream team. We did everything  _ he _ asked us to. We recruited followers and did his bidding, and we were right on the verge of figuring out what we needed when you bailed and had your soul suddenly restored or whatever.”

“What are you talking about?” Snow asks, her eyes growing wider. 

“So convenient that your memories are gone,” Killian mutters. “If I thought it would help me, help  _ us _ , I’d find a way to give them back to you, but I only think it would make everything worse. Unless….” he starts, an unnerving grin crossing his face.

“I’m  _ not  _ joining your side. Not even if it means remembering.”

“Yes, but you  _ need _ your memories back. If you don’t, you’ll never win.”

“We don’t need to fight to be able to win.”

“Oh, but I’m afraid you do,” Killian laughs. “You know about prophecies. Your daughter is a part of a few, as is her vampire girlfriend. There’s so many of them though, so I understand your confusion--”

“ _ Then clarify _ ,” Regina growls.

Killian snorts, “I can recite it to you, but it probably won’t help. I’m sure it will only confuse your tiny little brains more…”

“Fuck off or tell us the prophecy.”

With a pretentious smile, Killian recounts the prophecy to them. “ _ And there will be a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come the Anointed, the Master's great warrior. And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell.’ As it is written, so shall it be. _ ”

Regina is frozen, the words leaving her uneasy, the thought if anything happening to Emma alone making her feel dizzy. She steps forward, effectively putting everyone behind her, Emma, her friends, Snow and David. “Nothing’s going to happen to Emma. I’ll never let it.”

“We’ll see about that,” Killian says stepping back. “This isn’t over.” He looks to Snow. “Let me know when you want to join the team again, or when you want those memories back. Whichever comes first. C’mon, let’s go,” he says to his squad. Before he closes the door behind him, he grins at Regina. “Enjoy the rest of your party.”

She releases a loud sigh the minute they’re gone, but she still feels uneasy. “What was that prophecy?” August asks from beside her. “We know  _ the Slayer _ refers to Emma, but who is  _ the Mater _ ? Who is  _ the Anointed _ ?”

“I’ve heard the prophecy,” Regina says, “But I don’t know who they are… David, have you heard of either of them? When you had access to the Council’s resources?”

“I can’t be sure, but I don’t know.  _ The Master _ sounds really vague and  _ the Anointed _ sounds too archaic to be relevant to what I was dealing with in my years there, so if I heard either of them, I would have just dismissed them. But I’m sure we can do some research. The name’s are bound to come up.”

“Should we be worried about my memories? The things Killian said.... They were obviously up to something. It might be connected to the Master and the Anointed. If it is, we might need my memories to get to the bottom of it. To save Emma from whatever he was talking about.”

“We’re not going to let anything happen. That scumbag won’t get to us,” Regina says, eyes still glaring at the last place she saw Killian as if the idea of hurting him could actually do so. “If we need your memories, we’ll find another way to get them.”

“Yeah, me and Regina are going back to the Apprentice next week. We might not learn about how to bring back memories right away, but we can look into it. Plus, anyone can come along and look for books in his library. A lot of them are supernatural related, and no offense, Snow, but his selection is better.”

She snorts, “Of course it is. I work in a high school library. My content is censored.”

Neal’s voice speaks up from behind Regina for the first time since Killian’s sudden arrival and just as sudden departure. “Guys…”

“Neal, what’s wrong?” August says, going to his friend’s side.

Regina turns to face the rest of the group, the feeling of unease in her chest only having grown the longer Killian and his crew had left. It should be the other way around.

But as soon as Neal says it, Regina realizes.

“Emma’s gone.”

David runs through the door to get to Underbrooke’s main room, seeking out Killian or hoping to see Emma, and Neal and August are quick to follow, while Ruby runs out the back, trying to pick up on Emma’s scent. Snow stands frozen in panic, and it’s the last thing Regina registers before she collapses to the ground, a pain growing in her chest like someone is trying to hollow her out.

It’s a pain unlike anything she’s ever felt. The emptiness of it reminds her of being without a soul, but the emptiness is an illusion covering up the truth. She still has a soul. She’s full of emotions, and they’re burning inside her at war with each other. Loving so fiercely and losing so suddenly, letting herself down and not knowing who’s more to blame, herself or the enemy. And  _ Emma _ . The most important person in her life, gone. Ripped from her like her soul had been all those years ago, only this time, she feels the loss and not just the absence.

Snow is suddenly by her side, attempting to talk to her, to calm her down, but Regina can’t breathe. She doesn’t even need air, she’s  _ dead _ for fuck’s sake, but she can feel herself becoming lightheaded as she struggles, gasps for air. Her vision blacks out and she can hardly hear Snow next to her, but when Ruby runs back in with the confirmation, “They took her. They took Emma,” she hears it loud and clear before she gets sick on the floor.

Snow cleans it up while Ruby tries to help Regina into a sitting position, but the room is spinning and she almost falls backwards. “At least the floor isn’t carpeted,” Snow tries to joke, and Regina wonders how she’s holding it together so well, while Regina feels like she’s dying and losing her soul all over again.

She tries to talk, to say anything at all, but there’s nothing to say, nothing she  _ wants  _ to say. She thinks about Emma, excited at the prospect of being included in a prophecy and hearing some of them. Regina’s not even sure Emma was in the room when Killian recited it, and that thought alone hits her alongside another wave of nausea, but even worse than that is the implication of the prophecy itself.

They may not know who _the Master_ or _the Anointed_ are _,_ but they do know that Emma is gone, kidnapped by a group of vampires who recited a prophecy about Emma’s death that Regina has definitely heard before. She thinks about Snow’s memories. She thinks about _the message_ and then she’s starting to black out again. 

Snow rests a cold hand on her cheek, and the sensation is the only thing that grounds her as she takes a hold of it, trying to take a breath and organize her thoughts. She hears the others come back into the room, hears them shuffling towards her before Snow’s voice, closer than the rest says, “Stop. She needs space.” 

And that, if anything, is what brings her back, and she can say what she now realizes she has to. 

“They’re going to kill her.”

* * *

 

They act fast. 

August and Neal stay at Snow and David’s place, doing research and waiting in case Emma manages to escape and goes home, Ruby and Snow set out to track Emma, or at the very least, Killian’s crew so they can have a location and create an actual plan of action, and Regina and David make a visit to the Apprentice for some information. 

He tries to convince Regina to sleep on the way there, but it’s too difficult. Not because of David’s wild speeding, but because the pain in her chest isn’t going away. No, it’s just getting worse the farther they go and the more she thinks about Emma. It’s her birthday. She should be with her. By now they should be curled up in bed together, trying to fall asleep  _ together _ , but instead she’s lying in David’s car, head against the window, streetlights blurred by speed and tears, on the way to find out who is trying to kill her girlfriend and how much time they have to save her.

Regina stumbles out of the car when they get there, and David moves to where he can grip her hand and hold her steady. “You got it?” he asks her after a moment, gauging whether he needs to help guide her inside or let her go on her own.

The vampire nods, trying to give him a tight smile. “You’re a good father, David.” He mirrors her smile back at her before they walk in together.

The Apprentice is not only awake, but waiting for them. Regina is surprised to say the least, but when she remembers his gift of foresight, she gets angry. She moves towards the old man, hot tears rolling down her face and she shoves him, hits him, and she’s intending it to be hard, but she knows they’re only coming out soft. “You knew. You knew this would happen, you bastard. You should have told us.” Her voice cracks and the Apprentice, unaffected by her actions, takes her hands and leads her to a chair where Regina just collapses. “They took Emma,” she whimpers.

The Apprentice clears his throat. “I knew something was going to happen tonight. I was asleep, but I was woken by a dream.”

“A dream?” David asks.

“There’s more than one type of dream. The one I had was prophetic, but it wasn’t an event, it was a feeling. The rise of something powerful, though I don’t know what. Or who.”

“Do the names  _ the Anointed _ and  _ the Master _ mean anything to you?” 

Regina hears the man paling considerably, and she finally looks up after a long silence, hi eyes wide. “What?” she asks. “What is it?”

“That prophecy…”

“They said it before we knew what they were up to.” David explains.

“Is Emma going to die? The vampire that took her… Killian… is  _ he  _ the Anointed? Is there more to the prophecy?” Regina’s questions come fast, and she closes her eyes , taking a deep breath, realizing that this isn’t the way. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m just…” She gives up, unable to find just the right word, but her tears speak for themselves, and the Apprentice gives her an apologetic look before elaborating.

“That prophecy is very old. It came about long before my time, but it was swept under the rug for so long. When it was discovered that  _ the Slayer _ the prophecy mentions wasn’t going to be around for centuries, almost, it was shelved. There was no reason for anyone to analyze it until it came closer, but no one has brought it back up since. At least no one on our side. As for the fate of the Slayer, I’m afraid that the prophecy will come to pass exactly as it says.”

Regina feels her lip quiver. “There’s no way to stop it?”

With a defeated sigh, the Apprentice shakes his head, eyes downcast. “No.”

The vampire lets out a soft cry into her hand, the aching in her chest worsening once again. David puts a soft hand on her shoulder, and it only evokes another sob. Emma’s his  _ daughter _ . She ought to be the one comforting him, but here he is, staying strong for her. She turns towards him, teary eyes meeting teary eyes, and she attempts to give him a comforting smile but can’t manage one.

The Apprentice inhales sharply. “I will say this…” Regina looks back at him, hopeful for anything that could save Emma. “Prophecies are complicated, as is time and magic. Nothing is exact, and everything could occur far differently than it says it will, while still being true.”

“What does that mean?” David asks.

“It means that Emma can be saved.”

Regina’s heart swells at the idea. She’ll save her. She’ll find a way.

“What about the Master? And the Anointed? Who are they? How do we find them?”

“I haven’t heard those names in years. I’m quite sure the Master is dead. If they were still alive, we would know. It wouldn’t be this quiet. A vampire that powerful could do, and would be doing, terrible things.”

“And what about the Anointed?”

“The Anointed may not be called yet. If they have been, it would have been very recently. Like the Master, the Anointed will also be a vampire. Powerful and strong. I’ve heard of other prophecies about his calling, but unfortunately, I don’t know them. I’m not sure how helpful they would be.” He pauses for a minute, making eye contact with Regina and giving her another sorry look. “I wish I could be of more help.”

She shakes her head, “You have been. There’s hope to save her, and that’s all we need. Everything else is a technicality. Books are easy to find, but hope isn’t, though it’s the most important thing.”

“You sound like Snow,” David laughs.

“Must be the soul,” Regina says back, smiling for the first time. “Let’s go home. We’ve got a Slayer to save.”

They come home to a defeated Snow, sobbing on the couch, head on Ruby’s shoulder, Neal and August asleep against each other across the room. The hope of saving Emma has Regina unusually hyperactive, and when she dashes into the room with the news, everyone is dazed and caught off guard. 

“Regina?” Snow asks, her voice hoarse. “What’s happened? Do you know where Emma is? Is she alive?”

The vampire rushes to the woman’s other side on the couch, “I don’t know, but I  _ do _ know that we can save her.” She explains everything the Apprentice told them, about how the prophecy  _ will _ happen, but it might not be exactly how they expect, and it doesn’t necessarily mean what they think it means. She explains the Master and the Anointed, the research they might need to do or other prophecies they might be able to find, and by the end of it, Snow is looking more comforted and hopeful. 

“We can save her,” Snow reiterates with a whisper.

“We can save her,” Regina confirms.

There’s a moment of silence, and Regina feels the atmosphere relax, almost like everything is okay, only the blonde’s absence feels like a weight. If they can’t save her, nothing will ever feel okay again. Regina swallows hard as the hope shrinks away and her tears threaten to return.

A hand against her arm pulls her back to reality. “Regina?” Snow says, getting the vampire’s full attention. “We  _ will _ save her.” She tears her eyes from Snow’s but nods. “Are you staying here tonight?”

“I think… I think I’m gonna go home,” Regina answers quietly. 

“Do you need me to drive you?” David offers. 

She shakes her head. “I’m just going to walk. Can I come over tomorrow? We can start research?”

“Absolutely,” Snow says. “You know you’re welcome anytime, and we’ll be starting first thing.”

“Before the sun comes up?”

“Before the sun comes up.”

* * *

 

The walk home has Regina both on edge and in a daze.

Since being with Emma, the nighttime feel of Storybrooke has shifted, from something static and dangerous to something full of strength, but tonight it feels like it used to, only with a soul, Regina’s emotions are running high and she can feel her vulnerability floating from her. If Emma were here, she would feel invincible.

But nothing happens on the walk, and it’s not long before she’s in her own home. She leaves the door unlocked, just in case, but makes sure all the lights are off before she heads upstairs. 

The clothes Emma was wearing earlier, a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, are still lying discarded on the floor where the blonde had tossed them, and Regina changes out her dress for them without hesitation before climbing into bed, her chest tightening again as it had before, only this time she lets it out in hard cries into her pillow, still holding Emma’s scent.

She feels herself giving into exhaustion, as her mind fights to stay awake, working through prophecy and the vampire that told them about it, a soulless Snow and the restoration of memories, the Anointed and the Master, the loss of her soul and the loss of Emma, and then everything spins, distorting itself as she drifts off. She sees her mother, repeating the words she had said to her so long ago…  _ I want to give you the gift… you can die and be born again… beautiful and young forever…  _ and Regina tries to say, to growl,  _ you already made me like you, Mother _ , but she can’t say anything. And that’s when she realizes.

She isn’t really there. Her mother isn’t talking to her. 

She’s talking to Emma.

Then she sees it, her mother bringing her mouth to Emma’s neck before producing a cut on her own arm and leading Emma to it. Regina is screaming, wanting it to stop, but no sound is coming out, and as Emma’s siring takes its final step, the blonde drinking Cora’s blood, the woman looks up right at Regina, and repeats the last words she ever spoke, “ _ I only want what’s best for you, dear _ .”

Regina sits up in bed with a panicked jolt, breathing hard as she realizes that she’s at home alone. Her mother isn’t alive. She killed her. Cora couldn’t possibly sire Emma. 

_ Emma _ .

Thoughts of the blonde return and Regina almost cries again, both at the thought of losing her, but also at the thought her dream, her  _ nightmare _ , had brought her. It would take a true monster to turn Emma into one, and she thinks back to her girlfriend’s fearful talk about losing her soul, about anyone losing their soul. She can’t imagine it, and she doesn’t want to.

Her heart stops pounding, calming to a heavy but steady pace and she takes a deep breath before lying back down. But before she can, a hand brushes her hair slightly enough to make her shiver and her eyes fly open, adapting quickly to the darkness and landing on the figure next to her bed.

It’s Emma.

“Emma,” she gasps.

“Regina,” the blonde responds, her voice heavier somehow, and the vampire wonders if it sounds like that because she’s been crying, only Emma’s face is a picture of cold stoicism looking down at her, not a single indication of sadness.

“Are you really here?” 

“Yes.”

Regina leans back slightly, taking in her girlfriend’s appearance in full. Something about the abruptness in her voice gives Regina a sinking feeling, and she’s not sure if it’s residue from the dream she just had or if it’s intuition. 

Emma’s stare is blank as she watches Regina regard her, squinting when she notices. “Are you… Are you wearing leather pants?”

The Slayer smirks. “You like them? They made me think of you,” she says as she climbs onto the bed, a predatory look in her eyes as she crawls to Regina. 

Her body is reacting to Emma’s actions, but she’s pushing the longing aside in favor of a more pressing issue, “Emma, what happened?”

“Does it matter?” She asks as she brings her mouth to Regina’s neck, biting before sucking hard at the skin. Regina moans, unable to hold it back. “Can’t we talk about it later, Regina? For now can’t you just let me fuck you?”

The vampire groans, “Emma, you know I’d love that, but--” Her words are cut short when she feels Emma’s hand slides into her pants, touching her, and Regina whines Emma’s name at the contact.

“You’re so wet for me, Regina. You want this don’t you?”

Regina is torn. Of course she wants it. But something about this feels off. Emma gets kidnapped, but escapes, and the first thing she wants to do is seduce her girlfriend? A fearful suspicion occurs to her, and she’s thinking about what the Apprentice said about prophetic dreams. She locks eyes with Emma, hovering over her, eyes darker than she’s ever seen them, and she shakes.

“Emma,” she breathes out.

“Yes?” Emma’s eyes burn playfully into hers, and Regina sees something new, or maybe something missing but she can’t place it. 

“Are you a vampire?”

And the blonde throws her head back and laughs, a hollow sound that sends a shiver down Regina’s spine, but it sounds like a  _ that’s ridiculous _ and Regina feels herself relax. “Why don’t you taste me and find out,” Emma purrs, her fingers resuming their movements against the vampire’s sex. “It’s been a long day. I know you must be hungry.”

“Emma, you don’t have to--”

“I want to,” the blonde interrupts her with a growl. “I want you. You’re my addiction, Regina. I want you to drink me. I know how wet it makes you,” Emma says, fingers sliding into Regina with a hard thrust. The vampire’s back arches as she cries out before Emma pulls out. 

Regina whines at the loss of contact, grasping for Emma and pulling her closer, realizing just how bad she needs her, how bad she wants her. She goes for a kiss, but Emma turns so that Regina’s lips press against her neck instead and the Slayer releases a controlled moan. “Yes. Right there.”

The vampire hesitates, “Are you sure?” 

Emma looks at Regina for a long moment as if debating. “Take off your clothes,” she orders, and Regina does. 

“ _ Your _ clothes, you mean,” Regina snickers. Emma doesn’t laugh with her, but she doesn’t have much time to think about it before the blonde is pushing her back against the headboard and slides back to her, lips ghosting over her bare shoulders. 

Emma’s hands move to her chest, pinching her nipples before sliding her hands down the vampire’s waist and down the inside of her thighs. “Mmm, you look so sexy,” Emma coos as Regina gasps at the sensation. “Are you ready for me?”

“Y-yes,” Regina gasps.

“Yes, what?” 

“Yes, my Slayer,” she answers.

Emma hums, “I like the sound of that.” She nibbles on Regina’s earlobe, hands gripping her thighs. “Do you remember our safe word?” Regina’s forehead creases. They’d created a safe word back when Regina started drinking from Emma, but they hadn’t used it in months, hadn’t needed to. It was a red flag, but not one Regina wanted to worry about right now, naked as her girlfriend hovers over her, gripping her bare waist and watching her with lustful eyes. “Regina?”

“I remember.” 

“Good,” Emma says, grabbing a fistful of Regina’s hair and bringing the vampire’s mouth to her neck. “Drink me, Regina.”

As soon as she sinks her teeth into Emma’s soft flesh, the blonde moans, tugging hard on Regina’s hair with one hand, her other slipping between the vampire’s thighs. With the feeling of Emma against her, back in her arms, and the taste of her  _ very human _ blood permeating her senses, Regina gives into the sensations, thinking less of it than she ought to when Emma begs her to suck  _ harder _ , to drink  _ more _ , and with her giving in to Emma herself, not just the feelings, it’s not long before Emma’s coming undone on top of her, the sight enough to put Regina less than a minute behind, only breaking her mouth from Emma’s neck to cry out her name as the blonde pants against her.

For a moment, they just lean into each other, catching their breath, and Regina is surprised when the first thing Emma says is, “More. Regina, you can have more. Take more.”

“Emma… I don’t think I should.

“Regina, please.” The Slayer’s eyes are dilated, so much that only a thin ring of green is visible, she’s sitting up on her own, and if Regina was worried about her loss of strength at losing blood, she isn’t when Emma grabs her and flips them with one motion, one hand gripping the back of Regina’s neck. The vampire growls in response, which only encourages Emma, who yanks Regina down to her and bringing her lips to her ear. “I wish I could taste you.”

“You can,” Regina murmurs back, Emma’s neck warm against her lips.

“I don’t mean like that.”

Regina blinks, pulling back to meet Emma’s eyes. In all the lines they’ve talked about, all the scenarios, this one has never once come up, for obvious reasons. The risk of accidentally siring Emma is too high, not to mention, Emma’s a human and obviously shouldn’t be digesting blood. Regina didn’t even think the blonde would be into that. But from the way Emma is looking at her now, like all she wants is to drink Regina’s blood and be sustained by it, the vampire knows that something isn’t right.

“Emma…” The Slayer reacts negatively, sensing Regina’s hesitation, rolling her eyes before pushing herself up and off the bed, dodging the woman reaching out for her. “We can’t. You’d… you’d be changed.”

“Yeah, and what’s so bad about that?” Emma demands her voice rising.

“Emma, what happened to you?” she asks again, not willing to let the lack of an answer go this time. “Tell me.” 

The blonde snorts, “I’m not staying. I can’t. They need me.”

“ _ They _ need you? Emma, they kidnapped you.  _ I _ need you. Stay, please,” Regina urges. “Don’t leave me.”

“I already did.” Her voice is cold and harsh, and Regina knows she’s not shaking because she’s naked on the bed, uncovered by any blankets. It’s all Emma.

She feels a tear rolling down her face and wishes it wasn’t. “What happened to you?” she asks, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer but hoping anyways. The blonde just smirks, her eyes seeing right through Regina, and she’s surprised she didn’t figure it out sooner. “Your soul…” her voice is hardly audible, diminished like the normally bright spirit of the Slayer.

Emma smiles the kind of smile that says  _ you’re right _ , but she doesn’t confirm anything past that. Instead she just says, “I’m here to deliver a message.”

“What’s the message?”

“Rumple.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please feel free to tell me your thoughts! even if you're just yelling at me for this! >:) i need your reactions like i need air


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is straight up angst.

_ Rumple _ .

The name echoes through Regina’s mind louder than anything else, and on top of dealing with the possibility of a soulless Emma, a likely option if Rumple really is somehow involved, Regina can’t think of anything else. Emma took advantage of her initial state of shock at  _ the message _ (and of course Emma would have known she’d react the way she did because she was there for  _ the first message _ ) and fled the house, leaving Regina alone and terrified, with no way to calm herself down.

Her source of serenity was usually Emma. Emma was always able to help her reach a level of peace again. Emma would ground her. But clearly that’s no longer an option.

What  _ is _ an option (and part of Regina still can’t believe it’s coming to this after everything) is her girlfriend’s mother. Snow.

She had helped when they had first taken Emma, and not only that, but there are things about her that no one would understand except for Snow. Her past with the woman past may be incredibly rocky, but they’ve been through a lot together, and if they can get past all of that, well, there’s certainly something to be said for their bond, as complicated as the relationship might be.

There’s no point in falling back asleep, so Regina gets ready and heads over to Snow and David’s house, making sure to lock the door behind her. Her thoughts are clouded by the night’s events and the name of the last person she wants to see (maybe second, the first being her mother), and it doesn’t occur to her until she’s almost to the house that Emma could have gone there too.

But maybe not, unless she had a different message, she would have only needed to deliver it once. Besides,  _ Rumple _ would have meant nothing to Snow without her memories. 

The house is peaceful and quiet, the door locked and windows shut, and Regina breathes a sigh of relief. At least Snow and David will have their final night of rest before she tells them the bad news.

Regina pulls out her spare key to let herself in, and quietly locks the door behind her as she enters. Everything is so still, and her mind tricks her for a moment, thinking that Emma is upstairs asleep, that she’ll see her favorite blonde beauty trudging down the stairs in a state of sleepiness, yawning and dead to the world until she sees Regina, where her eyes will brighten and she’ll skip to her with a burst of happy energy, but it’s not going to happen.

The vampire’s mind has found a detached train of thought at the turn of events, somehow managing to shove her emotions to the side where they’re threatening to jump back in. She’s fighting them off, knowing that to explain the situation to Emma’s parents, she’s going to need to remain impassive, which means thoughts of Emma skipping towards her in the morning, getting lazy kisses over coffee, all of those thoughts need to be pushed away.

She still has a while until Snow or David wakes up, so she makes some coffee, and starts wasting some time reading as a distraction. She’s not taking in any of the words, her mind too active to take in anything new, and it’s not until she hits a certain phrase, “never be daunted,” that she recognizes the book as Hemingway’s  _ The Sun Also Rises _ , and she’s struck by the memory of Emma reading to her, the vampire’s fingers running through soft blonde hair, thinking about how much she wants to kiss her but knowing she shouldn’t, and the words, “never be daunted” leave Emma’s mouth, and Regina almost does it, right there in August’s kitchen.

Regina puts the book down, wipes at her eyes when she realizes she’s crying, and wishes that she could go back to that moment, or any moment where Emma was by her side. She pours herself some coffee, puts the book away, and hopes someone else wakes up soon. Being alone with her thoughts is starting to catch up with her, and she’s not sure she can handle it for much longer.

Fortunately, it isn’t much longer. 

David is the first to trudge into the kitchen, bathrobe hanging at his slippered feet, and he looks so much like a dad in his plaid pajama set that Regina can’t help but snort into her coffee. His reaction is almost as priceless as his outfit as he jumps a few inches, crying out a noise of hollowed surprise. 

“Regina! Oh my god, you scared me.” He’s clutching his hand to his chest, and Regina laughs, grateful for something humorous and joyful even if only for a moment.

“I guess you won’t be needing this coffee after all,” she quips.

“Yeah, right. Thanks for already making it I guess. Between the startle of finding you in my kitchen and not having to wait for coffee, it’s a good start to what will hopefully be a successful day.” Regina makes a face that David doesn’t see as he walks around her to pour his coffee. “So, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

The vampire takes a deep breath. “Something happened. But I think I want Snow down here before I tell you about it. And maybe everyone else should come over here too.” David gives her a curious look that she returns with a grimace and she can hear the uncomfortable thud of dread in his chest. “It’s about Emma.”

Once she confirms that it is in fact a  _ terrible _ start to a  _ terrible _ morning, it doesn’t take long for David to help her get everyone here, and once he has them rounded up in the living room, coffee given to everyone needing it, all eyes are on Regina as she’s forced to relive the events of the night as she tells them what happened… for the most part.

“I saw Emma last night. She was at my house,” she finally confesses after a long and suspenseful silence.

The reactions she get all vary, but they’re all along the lines of “oh my god, is she okay?” “where is she?” “is she still there?” “why isn’t she here now?” except they all come at once from everyone, and the general consensus becomes that “Emma is okay and she’s at Regina’s house” faster than Regina can correct it. 

When she sees a look of relief on Snow’s face, she breaks, and a sob escapes her lips. She covers her face to hide it, expecting more chattering among her friends, but instead there’s a chilling silence, and she knows they’re all looking at her when she feels Snow squeezing between her and Neal on the couch and putting a gentle hand on her back. “Regina,” she says, her voice quivering so slightly that Regina thinks she’s the only one who can hear it. “What happened?”

She has no idea where to start, especially when  _ what happened _ is still unconfirmed. “I think…” she starts, and when it sounds like the right direction, she takes a deep breath and continues. “I think that something bad happened. I think…” but she can’t say it.

“It’s okay, Regina. We can handle this together,” David says, his voice stronger than she could ever hope to feel in this situation. 

“Take your time,” Snow says besides her, and it’s enough to give her the courage she needs to tell them.

“Something has happened to her. She wasn’t… herself,” she says, looking up in time to see the confusion crossing everyone’s faces.

“Can you elaborate?” August asks.

“Yeah, um…” Regina starts, trying to figure out how she’s going to tell them about the events that took place without telling them the details they probably don’t want to know. “She showed up while I was sleeping. Standing over my bed, and I was really happy to see her, but something felt off. She was dressed… different. And she was acting more… uh, aggressive than usual.” She looks away from everyone but can tell that most of them are blushing, same as her. 

“Yeah, so. She did a few things that surprised me. Things I don’t think she would have done normally. But I didn’t say anything at the time because…” And she wonders,  _ why didn’t I? _ The answer is obvious.  _ I needed her _ . Sure, she was in a physically vulnerable situation, but it was more than that. She had been taken away only to appear at her bedside that night, and she craved her presence more than anything. She hadn’t wanted to say anything that would send her away.

“Because you missed her,” David finishes for her, a sad smile on his lips. “It’s understandable.”

Regina nods. She needs to stop evading the point, and she looks at Snow, her face pained and on edge, and maybe the rest of the story won’t bring her any comfort, but knowing the rest of the story and being able to create a plan might be relieving. The unknown is unsettling after all.

“I think…” Regina starts again, feeling like she’s back at square one. “I think something happened to her soul.”

Snow’s eyes are unchanging, like she almost suspected the possibility, but the others are shocked, gasping and making quiet exclamations. “Do you think it’s gone?” the vampire asks her, her voice sounding more angry than anything.

“I’m not sure. That’s what I thought. I didn’t ask her, but I suspected. I mentioned her soul out loud and she smirked like she knew that I knew the truth. Maybe it isn’t, but… the way she was acting, I could believe it. And…” Regina trails off. 

“And what?” Ruby prompts.

“She had a message. She told me before she left, and it was almost all the answer I needed, short of actual verbal confirmation.” She looks at Ruby, who glances at Snow before looking away, already knowing the answer to her unasked question.

“What was the message?”

“Rumple.”

The room feels so weighted that Regina questions whether she’d even answered at all, but Snow speaks, breaking the silence, her brows furrowed tightly together. “Who?”

Regina’s head shoots up, making eye contact with the other vampire who is glancing around at everyone, her expression a picture of confusion. It’s odd hearing the woman who has likely met and even cohorted with the man, introducing the name to most of the people in this room, being so in the dark now about him.

It’s clear that David agrees as he sighs. “We need to get your memories back.”

Clearly.

* * *

 

Snow is more than shaken up as Ruby tells her about when the vampire delivered the same message as Emma, only at a different point in time. They had left out this story before when they didn’t think Snow wanted to know the effect to which she had hurt Ruby, but this time, she insisted.

Regina remained quiet the whole time, lost in thought about her own experiences with the man and trying to figure something,  _ anything _ , out. She comes back in when she realizes Ruby’s story is over, listening to them plan. August is trying to convince everyone that it won’t be long until he can perform a spell for her memories, but David, who knows more about magic than the younger man, is certain that it could take months.

Snow insists on going to Killian for her memories, seeing what he can do despite him being the enemy, but David counters that idea as well, saying that he can’t be trusted, and he could do something to her. 

The vampire sighs, tossing her hands in the air before they fall back onto her legs, and gives her boyfriend an exasperated look, “Then what do you suggest, David?” He opens his mouth to talk but is totally at a loss.

“Even if we wanted to go to Killian, we don’t know where to find him,” August points out. 

“Yeah, but _ if _ we went to find him, we might be able to find Emma too. Trustworthy or not, he could still help us even if he doesn’t mean to,” Neal counters.

Regina sits and listens to their back and forth bickering, annoyed and impatient that none of their plans are helpful, not to them and especially not to Emma. She lets out a nearly silent sigh and glances up to find that Ruby is watching her, a suspicious look on her face that the vampire can’t ignore. “What?”

Ruby doesn’t react to getting caught, her eyes squinting more in Regina’s direction. “You know him. I remember how you reacted when I delivered Snow’s message.” Both vampires flinch. “You could help us get to the bottom of this.”

“I don’t….” Regina starts to argue back, sure that nothing she says will be of use, but she’s got a lot of hopeful looks pointed in her direction, and she knows she won’t be able to get out of this one. She sighs. “What if it doesn’t help?”

“Maybe it will, maybe it won’t,” Ruby shrugs. “But it definitely couldn’t hurt.”

Regina begs to differ, but she decides to tell them anyway.

* * *

 

_ Regina didn’t hear the name  _ Rumple _ until she had become a vampire. After her mother changed her without her consent and she had insisted on hearing the backstory about her birthright and her conception and her mother’s history, the name had finally slipped out. Rumple, her mother’s sire. _

_ She held onto that name, sure she would encounter the man one day, if not to seek him out. She read about him in some books, knew he was powerful, but she didn’t need him for anything until the day she decided on how to get revenge on Mary Margaret Snow. _

_ He wasn’t difficult to find. _

_ It was almost like he was waiting on her to find him, conveniently at a location near her, appearing alongside her one night during a hunt and acting like just a guy who was doing the same as her. She didn’t know who he was at the time. _

_ They chased the same victim through the darkness, and Regina thought he let her win as she drank from the man’s neck, that he must have given up and let her take him. The mysterious figure reappeared as she snuck through the trees in case the newly called Slayer, Snow, and her Watcher showed up. _

_ “Regina,” he said, and a chill went right down the vampire’s spine. It was a voice she recognized and hoped she would never hear again. Mr. Carey, her tutor.  _

_ She turned to face him, scowling, “What do you want?” _

_ “I heard you were looking for me.” _

_ “Why would I be looking for you? Just because I’m a soulless monster now doesn’t mean I’m suddenly open to learning about magic. I still hate it, I’m not interested in what you have to say, so you can fuck right off.” _

_ He smirked at her, eyes yellow and glowing, and she somehow isn’t surprised that her tutor is a vampire and probably was this entire time. He was a friend of her mother’s after all.  “That’s not why I’m here.” _

_ “Then why are you here?” Regina growled, not having the time or the patience for Carey’s apparent games. _

_ “You’ve heard of me,” he said, and Regina scoffed again.  _ Obviously.  _ He was her fucking  _ tutor _ for  _ years. _ But he seemed unphased by her reaction, and continued on. “I’m Rumple,” he admits with a grin.  _

_ It made sense, too much sense, that her mother’s sire was her tutor, trained to teach her more about vampires and everything about magic and very little about the things Regina actually cared about. It all clicked in Regina’s mind, and she resented her mother more than she thought possible, as well as the man in front of her, but she needed him so she held her feelings down. _

_ “You killed her,” Rumple pointed out, the creepy half grin still on his face. _

_ “Yeah, I did,” Regina scoffed. “You’re welcome.” It was half sarcastic, because she thought he missed her, being old friends and all, but she meant it all the same, no regard for the man’s feelings. _

_ He ignored her. “You have questions for me.” It was a statement rather than a question, and Regina rolled her eyes at the man’s presumptuous tone.  _

_ “I need you to teach me about siring.” _

_ “I know.” _

_ “Are you going to help me or not?” Regina demanded. _

_ He laughed in response -  a strange giggle that made her think he was hiding something, but she wasn’t about to ask an  _ amateur _ about siring someone. She had a plan, to kill Snow the same way her mother had, forcing her to kill the people she loved, and not to mention destroy her innocence. She didn’t know how her being the Slayer would be affected but she hoped it wouldn’t make a difference.  _

_ They went to a place where they wouldn’t be seen, and he asked for her motive, claiming it was  _ key _ to him teaching her anything. She started from the beginning, telling him the whole story while he listened, his unnerving and gleeful expression remaining in place the whole time, and when she finished and said, “You’re going to help me, right?” _

_ He giggled and said “I was hoping you would ask.” _

_ He knew more about Snow than she had told him, and it was enough to creep her out. Sometimes it seemed like he wanted Snow to be sired even more than she did, and one day, she couldn’t stand it anymore. _

_ “What are you getting out of this?” He giggled, and she second guessed asking for his help when the obvious dawned on her. He was after something. “What’s your price?” _

_ “You siring her is all I need.” She stared at him, disbelieving. _

_ “What else?” _

_ “Follow your heart, and I’ll get everything I want.” _

_ At the time, she thought it was stupid. “I don’t have a soul,” she scoffed. “But fine.” _

_ He giggled again and she wanted to strangle him. _

_ Then the night came and she watched Snow murdering Herc, and all she thought was that his lessons paid off, but then Snow stopped in the middle of killing her father and cried over his dying body, and Regina couldn’t decide if she should revel in Snow’s pain or be angry at Rumple for being a bad teacher. _

_ She sought him out after leaving, but as he always seemed to, he found her first. “What didn’t you tell me?” she demanded, a finger poking into the vampire’s chest. He giggled again, looking pleased and Regina pushed harder. “ _ Why does she have a soul? _ ” _

_ “She’s suffering isn’t she? I thought you would be happy.” _

_ “I am,” Regina growled. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve an answer.” _

_ “What did you expect? She’s the Slayer, and she’s pure. It’s a prophecy.” _

_ “A prophecy?” Regina asked, her anger dissipating in favor of unnerved curiosity. “I don’t understand. How? What makes her special?” _

_ “It is written, ‘ _ A young girl, purer than snow, will be called as the Slayer. Her light will save her soul, but someone will tear it from her and she will set the plan in motion. The Master will rise again. _ ’” _

_ Regina scoffed, “That’s about Snow?” _

_ “‘ _ Purer than snow...’  _ What do you think?” _

_ “I think you’re full of shit. So are prophecies.” _

_ “You’re part of a few,” Rumple told her. “Don’t you want me to tell you? Cora told you about your birthright, didn’t she?” _

_ “Yeah, I’m the product of true evil. So what? The only thing that tells me is that my mother has terrible judgement, but I already knew that.”  _

_ “As her spawn, do you really think yours is any better?” Regina shot him a look. _

_ “I don’t care. I’m not my mother.” _

_ “You will care,” he told her with a giggle. _

_ She scoffed again, “What do you know?” _

_ He only giggled and poofed himself away in a cloud of smoke, leaving her standing there unanswered. She didn’t understand what he was talking about, and she didn’t care to. She tried to forget the entire interaction, hoping she would never see him again or hear another prophecy or come across any more magic or magic users. For the most part, she didn’t.  _

_ Being isolated had its perks, one of them being that she didn’t have to listen to people talk. She could avoid everyone except her victims, push everything aside, and pretend that all the things she hated didn’t exist (with the exception of Snow, who definitely existed and was definitely going to continue to suffer), and eventually she forgot what she was so adamantly avoiding.  _

_ She found out Snow was pregnant and decided to kidnap her baby, kill or abandon it, and then go on about her life as she had before. Past that, she had no plans to continue to destroy the woman’s life unless presented with the opportunity, but then she followed through with her plan and everything changed.  _

_ She felt magic again, and something so close to empathy that she panicked. _

_ A week after the baby was left in a place Regina hoped was safe for her, she isolated herself again, frightened by the things she felt, and even more frightened by the shift in her mind. It felt like nothing would be the same again. The words she’d buried floated back into her mind,  _ “Follow your heart, and I’ll get everything I want,”  _ and she shuddered. _

_ She heard his giggle again, and she thought she was imagining things until he spoke behind her, “Well done.” _

_ She jumped, spinning around to see him and his pleased grin. “What are you talking about?” _

_ “Everything is going to happen as it’s supposed to now. I can make sure of it, thanks to you. Cora may have ‘wanted what’s best for you,’” he said, using air quotes, “But I’m not so invested in that. I want what’s best for me, and I don’t care that your life will be made hell to ensure that I get what I want.” _

_ “I don’t--” _

_ “Don’t worry about it,” he said with a wave of his hand, brushing her off. “Your life will be fine for a while. You have some more years to enjoy until your life is inevitably ruined.” _

_ “I don’t care. I don’t have a soul. I don’t have a life. I don’t believe you.” _

_ “You will,” he said, disappearing again. _

_ To which statement he was referring to, she didn’t know, but from that moment on, she was paralyzed with worry, never knowing what could or would happen, avoiding everything even more than she had before. _

_ So when Ruby delivered Snow’s message, and all her interactions with the man played back in her mind, she knew he meant everything, and she knew it was only the beginning. _

* * *

 

She doesn’t realize she’s crying until she looks up at Snow and has to blink to really see her. The woman isn’t looking at her, and she can’t blame her. Nothing about that story was easy. “I’m sorry,” she mutters, so quiet, but she knows the vampire can hear her. She glances at David before she says it again, a little bit louder for him. 

“Regina…” he starts.

“It’s okay, David. You don’t need to say anything. We need to figure out what to do next. For Emma. What’s past is past.” Something about those words settles uneasily in her, and August says her own realization before she can voice it.

“The past may be past, but the future… prophecies. That prophecy he told you. He mentioned the Master. I’m sure we can find out more.”

“But the Apprentice…” Neal starts.

“...doesn’t know everything,” August finishes. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s smart and he knows so much more than us, and I know that if we need to, we can go to him for help, but he doesn’t know  _ everything _ . We’re a good team. We’re good at research. Don’t you think we can figure this out?” he addresses the group, impassioned, and Regina wants to roll her eyes at his optimism, but she knows he has a point. Rumple said her life would be destroyed, and yesterday, it was. Asking  _ how much worse could it get _ always seems to make things worse, but if she’s being realistic, her life is at a new low, and if she’s surviving this, she’s sure she can handle worse.

She’s the first to respond to August, giving a firm nod before looking up at him. “I’m in.”

“Me too,” Snow agrees, finally looking at Regina and giving her a firm smile of solidarity. “We can figure this out.”

The game plan for the day is predictable at best. August and David make the trip to Boston to find new resources in the Apprentice’s library and the neighboring magic shop, Ruby goes out, tracking Emma’s scent and trying to find a location, and Neal, Snow, and Regina stay inside and read through the resources they already have. 

There’s a few new books, so they alternate between those and the ones everyone had their noses buried in when Snow lost her soul. Anything about “the Master” would have gone ignored or unnoticed, as August pointed out before he left.

“Great, so these books here are probably useless. How many times did we read and reread them looking for ways to help Snow,” Regina had complained when it was decided they would stay home and look through their own small supernatural library.

August had shrugged, “Looking at something with fresh eyes can only help. We were looking for something specific back then, just like we are now. We missed a lot because we weren’t looking for it.” 

It made Regina feel better, and it continues to as she flips through familiar book after familiar book. “Besides,” Snow says, looking through another one Regina is already too sick of to think about, “I wasn’t researching with you guys last time. I’ve never even read this one.”

“It’s terrible,” Regina deadpans. Neal nods next to her. “See, even  _ he _ hates it.”

“Well,  _ I _ think it’s very interesting,” Snow says smugly, but it’s clear she’s just trying to be optimistic.  _ She probably hates that book _ , Regina thinks to herself.

They spend most of the morning reading, only stopping for a brief time in the middle when Ruby shows up with sandwiches for her and Neal and two cartons of blood for Snow and Regina. 

“Any luck?” Regina asks, already knowing the answer.

Ruby shakes her head. “I think they must have some kind of cloaking spell. It would make sense if Rumple is a wizard and all.” Regina scowls. “But after lunch I’m gonna go back out and ask around. See if anyone knows anything.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Snow offers, her voice too cheery and Regina scowls again before going upstairs and finishing her blood in Emma’s room. She shamelessly changes out her clothes for some of Emma’s and curls up in the bed, trying to relax, at least for a moment. 

She waits to go downstairs until she hears the door close, an indication that lunch is over and it’s time to get back to work, and she’s surprised to see that Neal is gone when she gets to the living room.

“He thought he’d be more useful talking to people with Ruby than reading here with us,” she explains. “He thought it would be good if you went, but...”

“The sun. Yeah,” Regina finishes. “Have you found anything about the Master yet?”

Snow shakes her head. “It’s not that I’m not looking for things about the Master...I am, but…” she sighs. “I’m looking into memory loss and restoration more than anything else. And souls. Losing them and gaining them. I feel so useless without my memories. What if I knew everything we need, I just don’t remember it? What if I can get it all back and we can save Emma? I can’t…” the vampire breaks down just enough that she can’t continue, and Regina rests a comforting hand on hers.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine. We’ll work with what we have when we have it.”

Snow sniffles, looking up at her. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.” Regina nods, not commenting further. “But thank you.”

Regina nods again as Snow goes back to her book. Regina ought to do the same, but she’s too distracted, too emotional. She tucks her knees up to her chest and takes in Emma’s scent on her clothes. “I miss her,” she whispers.

Snow glances up at her and gives her a soft smile. “We’ll find her, Regina. We’ll save her.”

“Do you really think her soul is gone? She was so scared that would happen,” Regina says, her voice breaking as she remembers Emma’s fear that her soul would be taken from her. It’s the clearest explanation for her actions, but it’s also the last thing Regina wants it to be.

“I don’t know, Regina.”

It’s another hour before they find anything worthwhile. Snow decides to take a break from soul and memory related research and picks up a book from the bottom of the stack to look through that instead.

Regina is in the middle of reading through a paragraph that the word  _ prophecy _ appears in, growing bitter and disappointed when she realizes it’s only saying that they exist when Snow interrupts. “Regina!” she exclaims, and Regina nearly falls off the couch.

“What?”

“Sorry for startling you, but I think I found something.” Regina perks up at that, sitting forward towards Snow’s end of the couch to see. “It says,  _ ‘There is an old cult of vampires that awaited the Master’s rising. The vampire Rumple, has been the leader of this cult since it’s conception, and he has a pivotal role alongside the Master as the right hand man. Since the Master’s death, the cult has resurfaced old prophecies about the rising of the Master, who is the epitome of true evil.’” _

_ “‘True evil…’”  _ Regina mutters. Snow looks up at her curiously. 

“What are you thinking?”

“If the Master is the epitome of true evil, and my birthright is that I’m the product of true evil, do you think it’s possible that the Master is my father? My biological one, anyway.” 

Snow’s eyes are wide. “Maybe. What do you know about him?”

Regina racks her brain, trying to remember the last conversation she ever had with her mother. “My mother wanted to conceive a baby after she was sired, but she was already soulless and she couldn’t experience love, much less  _ true love _ , so she asked Rumple, and he introduced them. He said that she could conceive through  _ true hate _ , and her soullessness was a strong enough match for my father’s evil. She told me he was a pureblood vampire, one of the oldest and most well known. If that’s true, he really could be the Master.”

Snow’s mouth is open with what Regina assumes is shock. She feels the same way, everything falling into place. It makes too much sense. The connection Rumple has between her mother and her biological father, the role he plays in her life, not to mention his reference to the Master in his prophecy and his eagerness at siring Snow. She looks at the vampire next to her who seems to be thinking the same thing. “I know that it’s not confirmed,” she starts, “But Regina, I really think you’re onto something. This is clearly personal, and if the Master is connected to you, it makes sense that Emma was kidnapped after you and her had True Love’s Kiss and your soul was restored. They intended it to hurt you.”

Regina nods, thinking through it. It all  _ does _ make sense, but there’s one thing that doesn’t quite fit. The prophecy Rumple told her about the Master rising again said that Snow would set the plan in motion, and if that was true, then what did they need Emma for? Unless she was bait to get to Regina…

She thinks about saying this to Snow, but she knows the other woman won’t want to hear it right now. It directly affects her and plays into the woman’s insecurities about her memory loss. She decides to say something about it to David later. For all she knows, there’s more to the prophecy.

Unfortunately, if there is, it’s not in any of their books. 

She’s groaning into her hands whenever David and August return with more books and no new information from the Apprentice. “He wasn’t there,” David explains, and Regina can’t help but groan.

“Why? What else could he possibly be doing?” she whines.

August snorts, “C’mon, Regina, the man deserves a life too…”

“ _ The man _ doesn’t even have a name. How’s he going to go out partying with the friends I doubt he has if he doesn’t even have a name?” she asks, flailing her arms in the air, clearly frantic. She takes a deep breath, rolling her eyes at herself. “I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous, I know. I’m just…”

“It’s okay, Regina, really,” August says, giving her a comforting smile. “We get it. But we can’t expect him to always be there, even if we aren’t even sure what he can help us with. We’ll contact him soon, explain the situation, and see what he knows. It’s gonna be okay.” 

Regina fights back a sigh.  _ More useless optimism. _ “Okay.” 

She’s sick of reading, but she can’t stop herself from grabbing one of the new books to read through, hoping she can find some way to help Emma, any way at all. She hates that it’s not daylight savings right now, more than she did yesterday. If it weren’t summer, she could be out looking for Emma, either with Neal and Ruby or on her own. She’s starting to feel useless staring down at these books and coming up empty.

Eventually, Neal and Ruby return with no new information. Regina growls to herself and stares at the window, willing the sun to disappear. “We can try again soon,” Ruby says with an apologetic look. She looks too tired for another outing and Regina shakes her head.

“It’s fine. You’ve worked hard and could use a break.”

“Are you sure?” Her eyes are full of worry, and if Regina had any doubts that Ruby had tried her hardest, they aren’t there anymore. It’s clear that she gave it her all, and surely would tomorrow.

The vampire nods, “Yeah. There’s always tomorrow. And if you want to do more tonight, there’s always research.”

Ruby smiles a tired smile, but picks up a book anyways. Neal looks through the selection of the books August and David brought back before picking one he deems both potentially helpful  _ and _ interesting before suggesting, “We should order pizza. Classic research food.”

David shrugs, “Sure.” So they do. 

They’re all looking in a new book, while Regina tells them about their one find from earlier, explaining the situation with her biological father. They’re all shocked, but the consensus is that  _ it just makes sense _ , and it freaks Regina out. “I’ve never even met him.”

“Do you want to?” August asks hesitantly, and Regina can’t help but smile at him. He means well, considering his experiences growing up in the system and having to find his way to family, but overall, it’s a stupid question. 

“No.” And she doesn’t feel like it requires an explanation, so she doesn’t bother with one. She gets a nod of understanding in return.

Another hour passes and they finally find something. Well,  _ David _ finds something. “This book mentions the Anointed!” he exclaims, grinning successfully. 

“What’s it say?”

“It says _‘without_ _the Anointed One, the darkness of the Master will never again be resurfaced. The Anointed will be called at the beginning of the twelfth month, the year after a new Slayer called reflects power larger than her position.’”_ He swallows, looking up at everyone. “That must be Emma, so I guess it’s too late to stop the Anointed from rising.”

“Yeah, but he’s only one part. Plus, we can still kill the Anointed. He’s a vampire right? We’re not totally out of luck,” Ruby offers. “I don’t know how we’ll find him, but I bet there’s a way.”

“What if it’s that guy! Killian? What if  _ he’s _ the Anointed?” Neal seems excited by the prospect. “It would make sense right? He’s the one who told us the prophecy, and he was clearly the one in charge of kidnapping Emma.”

“That’s true. And I’m sure we can find him if we know where to look. Vampires need to eat after all, we just need to be patrolling more consistently so we can catch him,” August adds.

Snow and David are nodding, already planning out patrol schedules to track down the Anointed, but Regina sits silently on her place on the couch, stewing in irritation and worry. Yes, fine, tracing the Anointed is important to stop the rise of the Master, potentially her father, the epitome of true evil, and it could lead them to Emma, but more than anything, all of this feels like a massive waste of time. 

For one, the Apprentice said that all the prophecies  _ would _ pass, that there was no way to actually stop them, and Regina believed that. The Anointed was supposed to lead Emma to Hell, so is it even possible to find and kill him? And if they do, what does that mean for Emma? Will they be too late?

Second, regardless of all of that, Regina wants to save Emma, putting her safety above everything else, and if they can save her, then maybe the rest of things will just fall away, and if not, they’ll have Emma back on their side to fight against it.

Prophecy or not, Regina is convinced that just  _ finding  _ Emma will be groundbreaking.

And sure, Ruby looked all day, but now, the sun is down and Regina is Emma’s  _ True Love _ . True Love is stronger than any prophecy; she’s sure of it. So she decides to sneak out and find Emma on her own while the rest of the crew tries to be logical and technical, making plans to find and fight things that none of them understand. Regina has had enough, and when she steps outside, she takes a deep breath and sets out, confident in her ability to find her girlfriend.

At the very least, she’ll come across Rumple, who has always been there when she was looking for him. Why should now be any different?

Gripping the stake she gave Emma the night of their first meeting, she sets out to find Emma (and/or Rumple), following nothing but intuition. She figures that tracking by smell is useless or else Ruby would have had more success earlier. 

She takes a step in one direction, and she feels an uncomfortable thump in her chest, so she turns around and goes the other way. She does this over and over, letting her heart narrow down the path that she can only assume is right. 

It leads her to the school.

She’s sure it can’t be right. 

School isn’t in session, so it makes sense. An empty school is a great meeting place, but a cult of vampires meeting in the school? Really? She scoffs at their stupidity but continues to follow the feeling in her chest into the basement, near the library, maybe right underneath it. 

Her eyes take a minute to adapt to the lighting as she walks through the basement. There’s a sudden jolt of magic shaking her to her core that lets her know she’s walked through some kind of force field, and she shudders at the leftover magical residue that drifts in her system, making her feel wrong.

When it doesn’t fade, she realizes that the directive thud in her chest has converted from a hopeful flutter to a pounding dread. Something isn’t right, and while she’s sure she’s close to Emma, she wishes she wasn’t, realizing that this isn’t going to be easy.

She realizes too late that literally  _ following her heart _ might not be the best alternative.

The basement has become a cave of sorts, lit by torches, the electricity no longer reaching, and it’s cold and damp, and the shape of the cave, the way it’s walls wind through in a complicated pattern remind her of the library. She looks up and wonders if this hidden lower level of the school reflects everything above. How has she never seen this before? It makes no sense.

The closer she gets, the more her chest sinks. The once helpful rhythms of her heart are no longer helpful to her, and she starts to listen out for noises, any indication that someone else is around.

Then she hears it.

A whimper, soft and pained, and she doesn’t need to see what’s happening to know it’s coming from Emma. She listens harder and her stomach rolls. A vampire is feeding, and from the smell of it, she knows that the vampire is feeding from Emma.  _ Her Emma _ . 

Part of her doesn’t want to look, but she creeps around the stone barrier, and she can’t help but gasp when her eyes land on Emma, lying back on what looks like a chair but mostly looks uncomfortable as Killian grips her arm, sucking blood from her wrist. It looks consensual enough, but when Emma winces slightly, Regina can’t hold back the strangled sound that leaves her mouth, and the blood sucking stops, both parties looking right at her.

Regina freezes, completely unsure how this is going to go down, and her heart flips in her chest when Emma’s eyes grow wide and she scrambles up, sidestepping a bit before she regains her balance and starts to dash towards Regina, but the vampire is already running back in the direction she came from.

She’s sure she’s faster than Emma, and is going to outrun her, and when she passes the force field and is back in a familiar part of the school, she stops running, thinking that Emma gave up chasing after her. If she didn’t though, would that mean that Emma’s okay? She second guesses what she saw, wondering if it really was consensual. Is Emma being manipulated? Are they controlling her with magic? 

Regina feels a hand wrap gently around her wrist, tugging her back just slightly, and she smells her immediately, trying to choke back a sob at the proximity. Emma had followed her out. She’s standing with her here now. This has to mean something.

She turns to see Emma smiling at her, looking at her like she always had before, like she doesn’t want to be anywhere else but in front of Regina, and she feels her heart thump. Maybe she has her soul after all. 

“Emma…” she starts, but her voice cracks, and she stops to take a deep breath. She doesn’t know what to say, but what she wants to  _ do _ is fall into Emma’s arms and sob.

The blonde smiles at her, brushing her hand along Regina’s arm, “Hey. What are you doing here?”

The question puts Regina back in a state of unease. “I was looking for you. I was worried about you. I… Emma, please come back with me.”

Emma’s expression goes cold, “You know I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“This is… I’m here now. This is where I need to be.”

Regina can’t believe the words leaving Emma’s mouth. “ _ Why? _ ” she asks again. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” She pauses, waiting for Emma to jump in with an explanation, but when nothing happens, she continues herself. “You’re… Emma, you’re everything to me. I need you, and I want you, and I can’t stand this. What I saw… what you’re doing… Emma, it  _ hurts _ .” She doesn’t mean for them to, but the tears slip out, starting with a harsh sob. 

Emma shakes her head, “Regina, it’s not like that.” She takes Regina’s hands in hers. “You know I love you, and I’m not cheating on you. I would never. It isn’t  _ just  _ Killian… he isn’t special to me.”

Regina jerks her hands back, anger slowly building, “Oh, so all his groupies feed from you too? I’m sorry, is that supposed to make me feel better?” The vampire scoffs, taking a step back and threading her hands through her hair. This is unbelievable. Emma is here, willingly. But she was _kidnapped_. But she’s letting these vampires feed from her. But she says _she still loves her_. Something is wrong, and Regina keeps coming back to the soul thing. But _how?_ _How_ can Emma still smile at her like she is everything if her soul has been ripped from her body? How is she still kind of like _her_ Emma and also so much not like herself at all?

“What is wrong with you?” she finally asks.

She’s expecting her answer to come in the form of some kind of dismissal. Something terrible that confirms all her fears. Emma scoffs lightly, and Regina closes her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable hurt that comes from stinging words or Emma’s disappearance or a blunt confession. That’s what she expects, that’s what she imagines the worst is, and that’s what she thinks will hurt the most. 

What she’s not expecting is to be pulled in and enveloped in Emma’s warm embrace, feeling a hand stroking her hair, another holding her close. She isn’t expecting to hear her name whispered  _ so softly _ against her neck, followed by a comforting kiss to her temple, so light that she wonders if she imagined it. She opens her eyes in time to see Emma pulling away, smiling, bottom lip between her teeth, and Regina is dizzy. It almost feels like magic, and she vaguely wonders if it is, but before she can ask, Emma speaks and Regina forgets what she wanted to ask.

“I’m not scared anymore.”

“What?” Regina asks, confused.

“I used to be scared, Gina,” the blonde smiles brightly at her. “I’m not anymore. I’m so much better now. Stronger. I never had anything to be scared about.”

It takes Regina a minute before Emma’s words from a few nights ago come back to her.  _ I’m scared about not having a soul… Not having a soul sounds scary… I don’t want anyone to lose any more souls…  _

“ _ You’re not scared anymore… _ ” Regina mutters, and Emma grins proudly. “They took your soul. It’s really gone…”

She looks at Emma, shuddering under her impassive stare, her smile sends a chill through Regina. “Thank god. It was weighing me down. I don’t know why you ever wanted yours back. You made it sound like it was so terrible, but it’s not. It’s better.  _ I’m  _ better.”

The vampire shakes her head.  _ This isn’t right _ . “Emma, no… This isn’t… This isn’t  _ you. _ ”

“It is me, Regina. I’m still  _ Emma, _ ” she says, pulling Regina closer, kissing her along her jawline. Regina steps away, pushing the Slayer lightly in the process.

“You may be  _ Emma _ , but you’re not  _ my Emma _ ,” she sneers, suddenly angry. “You have no soul. You’re  _ not _ better. I know what it’s like. I’ve seen both sides, remember? I don’t care what you say.”

Emma glowers at her before reaching out again, a sly smile creeping back into place. It looks forced and wrong, and Regina just wants to scream. “Regina… you’re not thinking clearly. When was the last time you ate?” Emma asks her, mock sympathy dripping from her voice as she strokes her hand along the vampire’s face. Regina flinches back. “Last night? I know you didn’t get enough. I’d let you have some more, but… well, you saw.” Her eyes flicker to Regina’s mouth. “I’ve already lost a lot today. There’s not enough for everyone.”

All Regina can think about is Killian’s mouth on Emma, and she knows what Emma said, she isn’t cheating, but it feels like she is. For them, the blood drinking is intimate, and the noises Emma was making while Killian’s teeth were buried in her arm were the same she made with Regina. She scowls at the blonde, pushing her away. “Get the fuck away from me,” she growls, turning her face so Emma won’t see the tears. She feels another kiss to her temple, but when she turns around a moment later, there’s no sign of Emma, and all she’s left with is a depressing mix of emotions, a strange sense of magic, and no idea why she’s standing in the school basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (here's a reminder that everything is going to be okay, if you need one)
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts (although, quite frankly, I'm a little afraid of them after this lol)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's still thursday somewhere, right? lol anyway, this is the longest chapter so far and also the halfway point! you might hate me for it but I love this chapter SO MUCH. I hope you like it too

By the time Regina gets back to Snow’s house, she’s sobbing, and when the woman is standing at the front door waiting for her, pulling her into her open arms, Regina doesn’t fight it. She lets Snow lead her through the house to the couch and cries into the woman’s chest. It’s embarrassing, but she’s too broken to control it. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, it’s helpful.

Her former enemy doesn’t push her to talk, letting Regina cry it out until she’s ready, and after a long while, she finally lifts her head, red rimmed eyes downcast, unwilling to meet the other vampire’s gaze, comforting as it may be.

“I saw Emma,” she admits, and she hears Snow’s heart thud. She doesn’t comment, waiting for Regina to continue. “They took her soul,” Regina manages to say just before breaking down again, remembering the once vulnerable fear in those green eyes at the thought of ever losing it.

She pulls away, recounting the whole incident from memory. How she saw Emma and Killian, Emma chasing her down to explain, confirming that she has no soul. She can’t seem to remember where she saw them or where she ended up, only vaguely able to recall a cave and ending up in the school basement, Emma nowhere to be seen, but she can’t make sense of it seeing as there are no caves in the school.

She glances cautiously up at Snow to gauge her reaction. The woman remains surprisingly stoic, focussed more on comforting Regina than anything else. The vampire catches Regina’s eye, holding her gaze, and says, “I know it hasn’t been great between us, but I know you love her. I know you’ll help us save her.”

The total hope and trust in Snow’s eyes is so powerful that Regina has to fight off another sob. “I do. I will.” she confirms.

“Together?” Snow says, and regardless of the inflection, it comes out strong like a statement.

“Together,” Regina repeats. “We’re going to save Emma.”

They sit in silence, Regina replaying the encounter with the blonde over and over in her mind, and she can feel her sadness turning into the rage she got so used to feeling without a soul. She wonders if that’s what Emma feels without hers, or if it’s all based around another negative emotion, or if she’s just hollow.

She lets out an angry breath, and Snow puts a hand on her shoulder, “Regina, I know you’re angry.” She glares at Snow, of _course_ she’s angry. “I know you want to act on that, but you and I both know that it’s not the way to go… where it’s gotten you before.” Snow’s serious expression softens into forgiveness, and Regina suddenly can’t look at her anymore, embarrassed by how easily she lets her anger take her over.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. It’s for a lot of things, and she doesn’t need to specify for Snow to know what she’s talking about.

“How about you get some sleep? In the morning we can all meet up again. I’ve told everyone to meet up in the library. It should be safe since school is out and everything. And we’ll have more space and we can keep our books there. In the book cage, of course. This house is only so safe, and since Emma is still human…” she pauses for a moment, eyes wide, “Oh god she _is_ still human isn’t she?”

“Yes! Yes. She’s still human,” Regina quickly assures her. “She just doesn’t have a soul. Like my mother when she was human,” Regina scowls.

Snow gives her a sympathetic look before continuing. “Since she doesn’t need an invite, like the rest of them, she’s able to come and go here as she pleases, really. She still has a key. I think she would expect us to be here. Even if she figures out we’re in the library and keeping our resources there, they’ll be locked up in the book cage. She doesn’t have a key to that, and I know from experience that vampires aren’t strong enough to break into it,” she says with a grin. “Not even Slayer-vampire hybrids.”

“Slaypire,” Regina offers. Snow laughs like it’s a joke. “No, seriously. There was a book that mentioned the portmanteau once. Apparently it’s not considered a hybrid species.” The other vampire looks startled for a moment. “There was no record of one so I think you’re the only example. So no one really knows. I think the term was coined by a fanatic, honestly. It sounds ridiculous.”

Snow nods. “Well. I think we can both agree we don’t need another… Slaypire.”

“Right.”

“On that note, I think it’s bedtime.”

Regina kind of laughs, more like an exhale, but it’s the closest she’s come to a laugh so that’s what she’s going to call it. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow then?” She moves to the front door to leave, but Snow’s voice stops her.

“Where are you going?”

“Home?” Regina turns, brows furrowed. “To sleep?”

“Oh. Right,” Snow says, shifting on her feet. “You know, you can stay here, if you’d like. In Emma’s room.” Regina hesitates. She wants to, definitely, but the invitation makes her nervous. Snow seems to sense it. “I know our relationship has been rocky still, but I know it’s improving. We’ve talked about it some, but not much. I understand how weird it is. How taboo most of this is, but, Regina, I catch myself sometimes thinking of you almost like my daughter-in-law? I’ve said that before, but never to you directly.

“I know that the age thing is complicated, but..” Snow brushes her hand through the air with a casual shake of her head. “It’s all a technicality, really. I’m mostly referring to emotions. You… You’re…” Snow stops for a moment, clearly struggling with voicing her thoughts.

Regina nods, “It’s okay, you don’t need to explain.” She laughs, a real one this time. “Actually, maybe it’s for the best if you don’t. Like you said, it’s complicated. Just know that I’m grateful, and I’m glad we’re okay. I catch myself thinking the same things. More with David because he looks…” She’s about to say _old_ but when she catches the glare on Snow’s face she snorts and preemptively corrects herself. “Wise with age. Mature. Whatever. He makes dad jokes. He does dad things.” The other woman opens her mouth, but Regina cuts her off, not wanting to know, “The point is, Snow, the sentiment is a shared one. So, thank you. I’ll stay.”

“You’re welcome to anytime, alright?”

Regina smiles, “Thanks… mom.”

Snow makes a face, and Regina laughs at her. “If you call me that again, I’ll revoke your invitation.”

* * *

 

Regina is surprised at how easily she falls asleep, but between the little sleep she managed last night and the fact that she’s curled up in Emma’s bed and wearing her pajamas, maybe it’s not all that surprising.

If Emma comes by the house, she doesn’t make herself known, and Regina’s glad there’s no sign of her when she wakes up. She’s not sure she can handle it right now, and she has a strong suspicion that actually seeing Emma without a soul is going to break Snow, if she hasn’t fallen apart over it already.

She changes from Emma’s pajamas to more of Emma’s clothes before she makes her way downstairs, and she’s not even ashamed about it. Snow smiles to herself but doesn’t comment. David stares helplessly into his coffee in the kind of way that lets Regina know that he’s been filled in on the situation.

“We’re going to leave soon, before the sun comes up. Are you almost ready?” Snow asks the vampire.

Regina shrugs, “I guess.”

“Oh! I got you something,” Snow says, turning to the fridge and pulling out a travel mug of blood. “I didn’t remember if you had any at home, so to save the time, I went and picked some up. There’s also coffee,” she adds.

Regina takes the blood from her, “Thank you. I’ll, uh… I’ll bring it with me.”

“And some coffee?” David asks, his voice is hoarse but he offers a smile, and Regina does her best to return it. She’s not going to let herself get emotional over blood and coffee.

“And coffee.”

* * *

 

Since Snow is the one with the key to the library’s back door, and since she and Regina need to get there literally before the crack of dawn, the two vampires and David are the first to arrive, but it isn’t long before all the others trudge into the room, exhausted and unexcited at the early morning.

Neal lets out a wide yawn. “Does anyone else think it’s weird that we’re doing most planning now? I mean, as opposed to doing it all at night? Half of us are supernatural creatures. Four, if you count August’s witchcraft.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think I count. Or Ruby. So majority rules and the creatures of the night are on our time.”

Snow shrugs, “I’ve always been more of a morning person anyway.”

“Yeah, but not Regina. You should see her in the mornings. She looks worse than Emma. Even after she’d keep her up--”

“Okay!” Regina says, clapping her hands together. “Did we come here to plan or what? Snow, did you already fill everyone in?”

“Well… I told David, but other than that, no.” Snow glances at Regina, eyes full of concern. “Are you okay to tell them? Or should I?”

Regina sighs, “You already had to tell David. I’ll tell them. It’s alright.

“Tell us what?” Ruby asks nervously.

Regina looks up at them, feeling significantly stronger than when she told Snow. It’s still not the easiest thing to say, definitely not the easiest thing to think about, but when she looks at Snow and receives an encouraging smile, she returns it and finds the strength in her to say it. “They’ve taken Emma’s soul.”

There’s a round of “what?!” and “are you serious?!” and “how do you know?!” and Regina waits until it’s all dies down until she explains, “I saw her again yesterday, and she was… well, she’s feeding the other vampires for one. And she told me. She says she’s better and stronger without it. I told her she was wrong.”

Neal shudders, “I can’t imagine. Was she mean? Like…” he trails off when Snow glares at him. “You know. Or was she more cute like you were?” This time it’s Regina’s turn to glare at him.

“I was no such thing.”

“Emma said it, not me,” he says, putting his hands up. “But uh… is she… okay?”

Regina doesn’t want to answer. _Cute._ She wishes soulless Emma was cute. Well, Emma is _always_ cute, but she knows what Neal is asking, and she knows what the answer is. “She’s not like Snow was, so she’s not actively… murderous. But she’s not like I was either. I think she’s maybe a little selfish, immature, reckless, and she’s not really like _my_ \-- um, _our_ Emma, but you can tell she’s still there somewhere.”

“Is she evil?”

“I don’t know. She’s hurtful. I don’t know how intentional it is, but she’s aware of it. She knows what she’s doing, but I think her moral compass is somehow still intact,” Regina snorts, “If barely. I guess that’s better than nothing, but she’s still working for or with Rumple. We’re pretty sure anyway. We haven’t seen him, but it’s just too likely.”

“Wait,” August starts. “How’d you find her? Do you know where their lair is?”

“Oh, I just…” Regina trails off, trying to remember again, but it feels even more fuzzy now. She looks to Snow. “Did I tell you?” The other vampire shakes her head, looking confused as well.

“You mentioned the basement? But we decided that made no sense because you also mentioned a cave?”

“Right…” Regina shakes her head, annoyed at herself that she doesn’t quite remember. Even now, she thinks she might have made the cave up entirely, only able to recall Emma herself and then a walk to Snow’s house in the dark.

“Could it be cloaked? Or could they have used magic on you?” August asks, on guard.

“It’s possible…” Regina thinks back to the way Emma’s lips felt pressed against her temple, remembering the dizzy warmth that spread through her, a kind of magic easily mistaken for love and it stirs the vampire to her core. “She made me forget,” she whispers.

Snow looks away at the words, but Regina doesn’t repeat them for anyone else. Instead she tells them, “They don’t want us to know where they are,” which is just as true. “It’s very likely they’re covering their location with magic, which explains why we haven’t found them yet… why I can’t remember.”

“So… what do we do?” Neal asks as everyone glances between each other, at a loss. They can’t track Emma or the location of Rumple’s crew, they can’t fight them without their location or having the fight brought to them, likely at their most vulnerable, and there’s only so much research that can be done before all their resources are drained. Regina’s about to suggest spells to lower the cloak or to detect magic, which might lead them to the location, but before she can, the air shifts and there’s another voice from the door.

“I hope you aren’t planning to kill me.” Emma’s voice rings out deep and ghostly, and everyone’s attention is immediately shifted to her. Regina swallows and looks down before glancing at Snow when the vampire gasps almost imperceptibly.

“Emma…” the woman quivers, and the shock on her face sinks in. This is the first time she’s seeing her like this. David takes Snow’s hand in his, but it does nothing to visibly console her. “I could never kill you.”

Emma scoffs, drifting towards her mother, “I have experiences, as well as references, that say otherwise.” She turns her head towards Regina. “You were there. I believe you were the one who took the arrow she intended for me. That was attempted murder, was it not?”

The vampire doesn’t even justify that with an answer, refusing to taint the memory of their True Love’s Kiss, as morbid as it started. There’s a clap of thunder because _of course it’s raining right now_ , but Regina ignores it, speaking above the noise. “Emma…” she starts, her voice firm with warning.

“Yes?” Emma smiles, in that sweet way she always did when joking around, and her eyes meet the smile, just like they did when she smiled at Regina yesterday, and it throws her off now just as much as then.

“Stop that.”

The smile doesn’t go away as Emma slinks her way towards Regina, hands behind her back. “Stop what? I thought you liked it when I smiled at you?”

“Not like this. Not without your soul. It’s not real,” Regina says, and with that the smile vanishes, replaced by a scowl.

“Who are you to tell me what’s real? You went _years_ without a soul, Regina. If anyone should be accused of faking smiles, it’s you,” she sneers before turning her attention away. It’s a low blow, and she’s never been more grateful to have Emma’s attention directed elsewhere, but when she sees the shattered look on Snow’s face as she becomes the recipient of the blonde’s smile, so close to the Emma they love but nothing like her, her heart thumps hard in her chest. She wants to stop the other vampire from hurting, but she knows it’s impossible. It’s already happening.

“Mom,” Emma says, reaching for her hands. Snow takes them, and her hope is so strong it’s practically beaming from her eyes. Regina knows what she’s thinking, and clearly Emma does too because she drops Snow’s hands and moves her own to grip the vampire’s shoulders. She smirks at her, “Sorry, sweetie, you’re out of luck,” she says, a repeat of the same words Snow once said to her, before kissing the woman’s forehead and shoving her back,

For a moment, Snow’s eyes go wide with recognition before she crumbles, collapsing to the floor, saved at the last minute by David catching her. He glares up at Emma from the floor, Snow in his arms, and it’s the angriest Regina has ever seen him, though the heartbreak in his eyes is evident, softening the anger. “Sorry, Dad. It won’t work on you either,” she shrugs before glancing to Regina, eyebrows flashing up and down, just once, before she breaks the eye contact to look at her other three friends, giving them a single smile before the lights in the library flicker out and Emma disappears out the library doors.

Everyone stills for the first moments after Emma leaves, eyes flickering between the door and Snow passed out on the floor in David’s arms. August sways a moment like he’s going to chase Emma out, but when Regina makes the first move towards Snow, the rest follow her lead.

“Mary Margaret,” Regina says, shaking her shoulder gently. She gets no response and her eyes widen in alarm, looking up into David’s teary blue eyes. “Is she… do you think…” but she doesn’t know what she’s asking, so she stops talking altogether.

“She didn’t make her lose her soul again, did she?” Neal asks nervously from behind Regina. The vampire shakes her head.

“No, I don’t think so…”

“She was talking about True Love’s Kiss though. That’s why she told David it wouldn’t work,” August adds. He looks at Regina, and she sees the obvious unasked question in his eyes, but talks before he can verbalize it.

“Maybe that’s how you can wake her back up,” she suggests, eyes on David. He’s about to do it when Snow wakes with a start, inhaling deep like she’s trying to catch her breath, eyes panicked as they seek out Regina’s.

“Snow? What is it? What’s wrong?” Regina asks as Snow sits up, grabbing her hand, so tight that Regina flinches.

“I remember.”

* * *

 

 _“Emma, c’mon. You ought to dance with_ someone _. It could be anyone. Well, not_ anyone _. You can’t dance with a teacher, for instance. Or someone who’s already dating someone, cause that would be rude._ But _you get what I mean. You can pick almost anyone here.” She wanted to point out the obvious gender thing Ruby wouldn’t drop, but the blonde seemed pretty closed off about it. “_ Anyone _.” Emma rolled her eyes, but Snow just shrugged, brushing off the teenager’s attitude. “Just_ one _dance, Emma. That’s all I ask.”_

_“Snow! Why does it matter?”_

_“It’s high school, Emma! You’re the Slayer. You have the night off. Don’t you think you deserve to have a good time?” Emma scoffed. “Really, what’s one dance going to hurt?”_

_The blonde groaned, “Snow, I don’t want to dance. Everyone is lucky I even showed up tonight. So, just… okay?” And with that, she marched away. Snow sighed to herself as Emma disappeared into the crowd of people. She spotted Ruby having a great time with her date, and Neal and August standing awkwardly to the side like they’ve had more than their fair share of the experience, Neal laughing at something August said, their dates nowhere to be found._

_She skimmed the room a few more times, fulfilling her chaperone duties, and trying not to focus so much on wanting Emma to have a good time. She scoffed lightly to herself. She could be such a mom sometimes._

_After a lengthy internal debate, she decided she was content on dropping it entirely, deciding that pushing Emma to have a good time would only make her night less fun; however, the minute she made the decision was the minute she spotted Emma on the dance floor_ with someone _. As in_ dancing with someone _. And not just anyone._ A girl _._

_Snow couldn’t help herself._

_She didn’t immediately recognize her from behind, but the look on Emma’s face was so interesting, a conflicted mix of awe and surprise, excitement and frustration, she_ needed _to know who it was._

_So she stepped closer._

_When she was about halfway there, she started to get a sinking feeling. She heard words of the conversation, almost overshadowed by the pounding of Emma’s heart, and it’s then that Snow realized she can’t hear anything from the other girl. Almost as if… she looked closer at the girl’s profile in the dim lighting, the conversation having stilled their dancing, and she can’t believe she didn’t recognize her before. Emma said the name just as it passed Snow’s own lips in a whisper._

_“Regina.”_

_The woman didn’t hear her, and Snow froze in her place, shook to her core. What was she doing here? Why was she talking to Emma? Did she really have the nerve to just show up in the middle of the dance like this? She stepped closer and heard a thud that could only be the vampire’s heart, and it caught her off guard. She’d never heard anything like it. Something flashed across Regina’s face that looked almost pained, and Snow immediately looked to Emma for her reaction, but she wasn’t giving anything away, besides the obvious shock and apprehension Snow expected would be in the conversation._

_She stepped closer again, and the words she heard became whole sentences, and she was close enough in time to see Regina lean in closer and confess: “you’ve been in the foster system since nearly the day you were born, left outside a group home in Phoenix by someone who was never identified, wrapped in only a yellow hospital blanket, with a tag containing only your birthday.”_

_Snow nearly collapsed. That couldn’t be true, could it? If that were true, that would mean… But it couldn’t be. The vampire lost focus on the conversation unravelling itself in front of her as her eyes locked on Emma as if seeing her for the first time. Her eyes widened with a mix of emotions and they looked so much like David in that moment that Snow couldn’t believe she never noticed._

_They grew and shifted to a squint as Emma put the pieces together, trying to back away from Regina, but the vampire had a firm hold on her, trying to keep her from running away, and  Snow listened back in when she saw that Emma’s lips were moving, but Regina was the one to finish her sentence._

_“You’re the daughter of Snow.”_

_Tears blurred her vision, but her feet led her to the pair, and when she blinked, releasing the tears, all she could see was Emma. She reached out for her, and Emma didn’t flinch at the contact, but it wasn’t long before she looked back at her._

_Their eyes met and Emma looked nauseous. She paled and started to fall, but when Snow went to catch her, Regina beat her to it. Snow was so taken aback, having forgotten the other vampire was even there. She couldn’t help but wonder what Regina was getting out of this. Was this the next phase of her plan? To reunite them just to take Emma from her? How did she even know it was really Emma?_

_For a moment, the way she had her arms on Emma made Snow’s blood boil. Has she been watching Emma grow up when she,_ her mother _, missed the whole thing? Or did she just figure it out and planned on using it to destroy Snow’s life even more._

 _“Get off of her,” Snow snarled, and Regina’s eyes widened but she did as she was asked, slowly letting go when she was sure Emma wasn’t going to fall over. Snow side eyed her, confused by the weird beating in the vampire’s chest and the look in her eyes that seemed an awful lot like worry._ It’s an act _, Snow told herself._ Regina only wants to inflict pain, cause suffering, on me… on my family… Emma is no different.

_But when Regina’s hands fell away from Emma, the blonde fell away from them both, finding the strength to stand up on her own. Her eyes shifted between the two vampires and she shook her head, eyes wide as in disbelief. “This is too much,” she muttered. “I’m so confused.”_

_“Emma?” Regina asked her, taking a step to her, and both mother and daughter raised a hand to stop her._

_“You…” Emma started, her panicked eyes locked on Regina. “I can’t… fuck.” She shook her head. “This isn’t right…”_

_“What are you talking about?” Regina tried again, ignoring the exasperated glares Snow was sending in her direction._

_Emma’s mouth was open as she continued shaking her head, making nonsensical noises mixed with the occasional word. She picks up on_ mom _a few times, as well as_ baby _,_ purple _, and_ unfair _._ Confused _and then_ mother _again. Regina seemed just as confused as she was, if anything a little less, and it pissed Snow off. She brushed the vampire’s “concern” off, stepping towards her daughter._

_“Emma?” She tried again, the tears still rolling. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I never… I never wanted this. I… Emma, talk to me. What’s wrong?” But every time she reached for Emma, the blonde would retreat, not only avoiding her touch but her eyes, as hers seemed frozen on Regina, full of some emotion Snow couldn’t understand and wasn’t sure she wanted to._

_“Emma…” Regina said, so light and breathy that it alarmed Snow. As soon as the name left her lips, Emma started falling again, and Snow was sure to catch her before Regina could._

_The blonde sagged in her arms, nearly dead weight, and Regina moved like she was going to help, but Snow didn’t need or want her help. “You need to leave,” she told her enemy. The vampire looked like she was about to argue, maybe even like she was going to cry, and Snow didn’t want to deal with any of it. She didn’t know what it meant, but she was sure it wasn’t good, and if she knew anything, it was that she finally had her daughter back in her arms and Regina wasn’t about to mess it up again._

_It was only a moment before Regina fell back, listening to Snow and leaving without a word. Snow waited until she couldn’t see her anymore before leading Emma to a table off to the side so she could sit down. So far, she hadn’t said anything coherent, her words had remained a nonstop string of mumbles, but Snow kept coaxing her. “Emma, take a deep breath. I need you to breathe, sweetie, okay?”_

_August ran up on the way to the table, and Emma didn’t even react to his presence. “Oh my god, what happened?” he questioned._

_Snow skipped an explanation, jumping right to the point. “August, can you please get Emma a cup of water? If the others ask, she’s okay, but we need to give her space.” He nodded, going to grab some water and not questioning it, yet._

_She tried to get Emma’s full attention, but nothing worked. “Emma? Emma.” She kept repeating her name in an attempt to stir her daughter out of the daze she was trapped in, but either Emma was too in shock to hear her, or she wasn’t ready to deal with it. Both options stung, and Snow was trying not to be selfish. Of course this was a shock. Considering everything that had happened this semester, only to have something_ this big _revealed to her so suddenly, it only made sense that Emma wouldn’t be very receptive to the news._

_It was just that in any envisioning of this reunion Snow had, none of them went like this. None involved Regina, none took place in a crowded room full of high schoolers, and she never considered Emma being another Slayer. She never could have imagined this._

_“Here,” August said, appearing behind her and passing the water to Emma, who didn’t take it but did snap out of it a little, seeming to realize that her location had moved and that Regina was missing, replaced by August._

_“I don’t believe it,” she muttered at no one in particular, taking the water and saying it again before Snow got her to take a sip. “I don’t believe it.”_

_She had been waiting for this day, the day she finally got to see her daughter again, for_ years _. Finding out_ Emma _of all people was her daughter (_ her daughter! _) was so amazing. She’d come a long way, had grown into a beautiful and strong young woman, and Snow really couldn’t be prouder. But here she is now, breaking at the realization while all Snow wants to do is hold her close and never lose her again._

 _And she got it. She really did. Emma didn’t_ just _find out that Snow was her mother, Regina was her kidnapper, she wasn’t abandoned at birth like she always thought she was, and to top it all off, she also found out that she’s a part of this grand prophetic thing where she’s the product of true love and very likely a part of something that no one understands. It was so much to take in, Snow couldn’t even imagine._

_But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t hurt by Emma’s initial reaction._

_With every “I don’t believe it,” Snow wondered if Emma would be disappointed in her, or if she wouldn’t accept her as her mom, or if she would want her out of her life._

_The more panicked Emma’s expression became, the more Snow wanted to blame herself for not trying harder. David had gone to find Emma, told her not to help, but she should have. She should have said,_ fuck that, I’m going to help you _and done it, but she hadn’t. She’d let herself be broken by it, had settled into an impassive waiting game, and now Emma knew it._

_She needed to give her time and space, she knew that, but here in the gymnasium surrounded by her classmates and loud music in the middle of a panic attack was not the time to leave her alone to her thoughts. She tried again._

_“Emma, please,” she begged, reaching for Emma’s hand, but as soon as she had it, she knew it was the wrong thing to do. Her daughter snatched her hand back and stood so fast that she knocked the chair over, eyes wild, like she wasn’t really there. “Emma?”_

_And then she was running, moving past the people and out into the foyer. The second she was running, Snow was running too, followed by August, thankful that everyone was too invested in the dance to pay them any notice. She hoped Emma hadn’t run outside. In her state, that could only end badly, especially if Regina was still around._

_Fortunately, she hadn’t gone as far as the foyer, her hands running through her hair as she paced rapidly back and forth. She was hyperventilating, and August said, “Oh god, what if she passes out?” just when Emma started to really collapse. Snow was there to catch her again, but this time she wasn’t getting back up._

_“Emma?” Snow jostled her a bit, just to be sure she was out before picking her up. “August, will you help me get her to the car please?” He opened all the doors for her on the way out, and Snow was frequently grateful for faculty parking and not having to run through the sunlight, but today she was even more grateful for it._

_“Do you need the key to the house? Or do I need to go with you?” August asked._

_“Um…” Snow stood next to the car, looking at Emma sprawled across the back seat. “Actually, if you don’t mind coming with me, that would be helpful. That way you can help me get her inside okay. And so we don’t freak Marco out.”_

_“Good thinking.” So the game plan was that he would let everyone know that Emma was okay, but the three of them were leaving, and Snow had to check in with the other chaperones to make sure she could go. Once they were clear, they set off._

_“Sorry about your date,” Snow said. It was a weird apology considering she wasn’t even sure she saw his date, but she felt it was necessary._

_August laughed, “Yeah, no worries. It wasn’t going great.”_

_“Oh? I’m sorry to hear that.”_

_He laughed again with a shrug, “Nah. Don’t be.” They fell into a silent spell for a few moments before August finally asked the question Snow had been waiting for. “What happened?”_

_She wanted to answer and tell him, but she felt it was up to Emma. Even though part of the story is undeniably hers, she thought Emma reserved the right to all of it, and tomorrow, or whatever day Emma finally comes to her, she’d give her the permission to share anything with her friends. But right now, that didn’t go the other way around, and Snow wasn’t going to push it._

_“You’re going to have to ask Emma,” she told him. He nodded like he knew that would be the answer all along._

_It’s not long until they’re carrying Emma inside and resting her on the bed. “Um…” August started while they just stood there looking down at her._

_Snow didn’t wait for him to get wherever he was going with that. Instead she just blurted, “We shouldn’t leave her in the dress like that. Do you think… do you think she’d be upset if we changed her into pajamas? Or anything more comfortable? If it were me, I think I’d prefer that.”_

_“I don’t know. Maybe we can wake her up so she can do it.” So they tried, a few times a few different ways, but nothing worked, and finally August sighed. “Knowing how much Emma didn’t want to be in that dress to begin with, I’m going to say it’s fine. But I’m gonna let you do it, cause I think she’d be weirded out if I did. If she gets mad in the morning, she can blame me.”_

_Snow nodded, “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” So she watched as August left before grabbing some clothes that she thought Emma would deem_ comfy enough _and was as gentle as possible taking off the dress and sliding her into the new clothes. She pulled back the covers, getting Emma settled underneath them._

_Part of her hoped Emma would wake up in the process, but another part of her feared what would happen if she did. She sat on the edge of the bed after a moment, just looking at Emma, making sure she was breathing okay. She could hear her heart rate beating back at a normal pace, and she sighed._

_Emma was going to be fine, and tomorrow she could talk to her. Or the next day. Or the next week, whatever, but it wouldn’t be long until their next conversation. It wouldn’t be long until Emma would wake up and feel better about the revelation. She may not be 100% yet, but she wouldn’t be in the same level of panic that she was tonight. It would only go up from there, get better._

_She was about to go, so she brushed Emma’s hair from her face and leaned down to press her lips to Emma’s forehead, the most motherly gesture she could think to do besides tucking her into bed, which she had already done. “Goodnight, Emma,” she whispered. “I love you.”_

_The second her lips so much as graze Emma’s forehead, there was a sharp pain in her chest, almost as if someone had staked her. She jerked back, clutching her chest. No one was in the room besides her and Emma. No one was attacking her. So what was happening?_

_She stood up, and it happened again, this time accompanied by shooting pains in her arms, then again in her stomach and her legs. And pretty soon it was everywhere. Her head was throbbing and she tried not to cry out, not wanting to wake Emma or alarm August._

_The room started to spin and she felt something tearing through her, her heart felt like it was obliterating in her chest, and that’s when she realized: her soul was being ripped from her body. Years after her sire,_ decades _, it was actually happening._

 _She wasn’t sure exactly what would happen, but judging by her siring, as well as Regina’s loss of_ her _soul, she feared she would kill her own daughter. She couldn’t let that happen, so she ran. She leapt from the window, wincing when she hit the ground wrong, but that pain was nothing compared to the ripping of her soul as she felt herself disconnecting from it._

_When she was far enough from Emma, crouched in a dark alleyway, she tried to fight it off. She tried to hold her soul back in, but it was no use. It only tore harder, aggressively shredding its way to separation. She was in so much pain, she thought she would pass out, and she knew that when she did, she needed to be anywhere but in the open or else the sun would kill her._

_She crawled her way to the closest graveyard, prying open the entrance to the first crypt she found. As soon as she had the door wrenched closed behind her, there was another pang, sharper and harder than the rest, and she could feel the empty sinking of her heart just before she blacked out._

_It was hours until she finally woke up, groaning first at the splitting pain in her head, and then at the discomfort of her position on the ground, and then finally at the hunger that feels like it’s eating her bloodstream from the inside out._

_Other than hunger, pain, and discomfort, the only things she could feel were an intense bitterness and something akin to thankful. For one, she felt free. For the first time in her life, she felt unhindered by the burden of having a soul. Her moral code was gone, and she could finally satiate herself like she ought to have been all along._

_She was a Slayer, sure, but the connection she had to her role was rooted in her soul, and with that out of the way, it was no longer a problem. She wasn’t tied to any greater moral code or any higher power. She could quit_ being the better person _and get revenge on Regina for making her kill her father like she did, but more than anything she wanted the other vampire to suffer just on principle that she wanted Snow to suffer first._

 _She tried to shake off the pain in the crypt, as well as find a way out, but she had apparently picked_ the worst _crypt. There was no hidden tunnel, and for the most part, no extra space, so she had to sit and wait for the sun to go down. It wasn’t great for her budding anger at Regina’s petty revenge or the way her mixed feelings regarding Emma were stewing inside her, but as far as she was concerned, the consequences weren’t her problem._

 _All she knew now was that she wanted Regina’s suffering, and maybe Emma’s as well, once she properly thanked her for giving her life back. For making her anything but_ Mary Margaret _, the pathetic child she saw her souled self as._

 _On the plus side, the green dress_ Mary Margaret _had picked out was way better than most of her other clothes. But still, Snow couldn’t wait to get into something more suitable._

 _It was the first thing she did when she got out, marching straight to the store. She paid, but only because she_ could _, was in a hurry, and didn’t have time to deal with being sneaky. She’d save that for later._

 _And she did. She lurked in an alleyway and waited for the first solitary innocent person to stroll past her, and when they did, it was a man in his late thirties who thought she was in distress at first._ As if. _She’d picked black and red for a reason. She looked intimidating, and she showed him that she was as she grabbed his shoulders and sunk her teeth into his neck, having no mercy. His body became lifeless in her hands and she tossed him to the side, wiped the blood off her lips and revelled in the feeling of her first intentional kill._

_She smirked as she walked back to the street, blending in with the people, no one the wiser as to who she was or what she had just done._

_Her night was just getting started._

_At first, she thought she should seek out Regina, so she did. She lurked in graveyard after graveyard, waiting for her to appear, but she never did. She was about to give up and go find some new fun when she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair not too far away._

_Snow wasted no time in chasing her down and attacking her from behind, trying not to give herself away with her laugh as Emma hit the ground. She didn’t think it could get better than catching the Slayer off guard and watching her struggle to sit back up, but she was proven wrong when she realized Emma not only didn’t know it was her yet, but she thought she was Regina._

_“C’mon Regina, I don’t have time for--” Emma muttered as she finally stands, brushing grass from her legs, and Snow just stood in front of her, waiting for her to get the surprise that her mother lost her soul._

_It was every bit as satisfying as Snow thought it would be when Emma did a double take, her jaw hanging open as she took in the vampire’s new look, shuddering when they made eye contact. Snow lurked towards Emma, drawing out reaching her in what was hopefully a good intimidation tactic. Based on Emma’s speechlessness, she would say that it was._

_Finally, the Slayer spoke. “Snow?” Her voice shook, and there was fear in her eyes, but also amusement, and Snow almost laughed at the idea that Emma would think she was just joking around_

_She ended up laughing. “What’s the matter? Don’t recognize me?” Emma blinked, stepping back dramatically, confirming all the small changes she hoped would be noticeable. Her voice, her look, her eyes, all of that. Emma just gaped at her uselessly, neither confirming nor denying, and more than anything, it pissed Snow off. She scowled, thinking about the person Emma was hoping to see. “You wouldn’t, would you. You only knew the too-happy, too-chirpy, too-kind bookworm_ Mary Margaret _.”_

 _She expected Emma to continue her staring, lost for words, but she surprised her by being snarky. “I knew you as Snow.” The vampire_ fucking _hated it. Who did she think she was? Did she really think she could talk back to her like that? So she backhanded her, hard enough that she could have fallen over, only she caught herself, and put a hand to her face._

_Emma stared up at her, shocked and disturbed, and Snow loved it, already wanting to smack her again. But she didn’t. Instead she just waited for her to talk and hope it would be worthy of another slap. “What’s wrong with you?”_

_It wasn’t. Snow scoffed, “Nothing… anymore.” She continued her sauntering towards Emma, keeping her moving backwards. Eventually she would be cornered, trapped somewhere, and even if she wasn’t, she would be waiting for it. More intimidation. “I’m right where I want to be, all thanks to you. Funny. I’m also thinking that you’re somehow to blame for all of this. And even if you’re not, I still think you deserve to suffer.”_

_She will. Just not yet._

_But Emma didn’t want to accept it. She shook her head back and forth as if it could change what was happening. “This isn’t who you are.”_

_Snow scoffed again, “And what do you know?” Her hand twitched at her side._

_“You…” Snow glared at her as she worked through her thoughts. Of course she hadn’t given the news from last night any thought until now. Of course she was too slow to get it. Of course she was going to try to use the emotional connection to sway her. Fucking idiot. After a while, she finally said it. “You’re my mother.”_

_Snow growled, low and likely inaudible to_ her daughter _, but it was a natural reaction to the mention of their relationship. The only good thing about Emma was that she had provoked the disappearance of Snow’s soul. That and she had half of her genetics. “Yes. And? Your point?”_

_Emma’s caught off guard. “My point?”_

_“Yes, your point. Why the fuck should I care?” She demanded with a roll of her eyes._

_Emma scoffed, and all Snow can think is of taking her out. It was only a matter of time before she would act on her irritation again, and she found that she was really looking forward to it the more Emma wouldn’t let it go. “You should care because that’s what you do. You’re my Watcher and my teacher and my friend, and apparently my mother! I don’t know what your problem is, but you need to cut it out. This isn’t funny anymore, Snow.”_

_And there was that, the confirmation that Emma really thought she was just screwing with her. That or she just didn’t like that things weren’t going her way. The thought of her being such a spoiled brat evoked a visceral reaction that Snow could feel in her blood, and she reacted with a foot against Emma’s body, sending her flying into the air and knocking into a headstone. She flipped over it dramatically and landing on her back with a grunt._

_She didn’t get up for a while, and it brought Snow more joy than she expected. Maybe she could feel_ happiness _with a soul, but this was far better. She stood over the Slayer, who blinked up at her with a cough. “Don’t talk back to your mother, Emma,” she laughed, pressing her foot against Emma’s neck. She cackled at the way Emma’s eyes widened, realizing that all Snow had to do was step down, and Emma would be ruined._

_The Slayer flinched under her, trying to maintain some level of calm in her expression. She succeeded just slightly, but the rate her heart was beating gave her away. A few beats passed where Snow watched as Emma tried to think of something to say until finally something flashed in her eyes. This had better be good, Snow thought . But as soon as Emma started, she knew it was only going to piss her off more, and she cuts her off before she can say it. “Regina told me that I was the product of--”_

_“Regina is full of shit. She’s going to suffer too. I’ll get my revenge. Just you wait.” She pulled away from Emma, starting to walk and listening as Emma struggled to get up. “I won’t kill you tonight, because you saved me from the hell I was in. But nevertheless, you’ll keep trying to make me good, to hold me back from my true potential.”_

_“I- I don’t understand.”_

_Snow kept walking for a moment like she wasn’t going to elaborate. She turned to see Emma propped up against the headstone, one hand on her throat, the other gripping that stupid stake Regina gave her. She sneered at the Slayer. “You’ll try to save me. And I just can’t let you do that.” She walked away, listening to Emma’s heart rate pick back up until she was too far away to hear it._

_She spent the rest of her night trying to find a place to sleep the sun away tomorrow that wasn’t cramped and had some good perks. She had to deal with some kind of demon for a crypt but it was one she thought was suitable. Plus, since it was inhabited right up until Snow murdered its former occupant, it already had what she needed. A bed, for one, and a comfortable one at that._

_The next night was also boring. She wreaked havoc looking for Regina, but didn’t find her. She killed another victim for a meal, but nothing interesting happened all night, and by the time the sun was coming up, she decided that she needed to make her own fun, if Emma and her pathetic squad weren’t going to themselves._

_She started her night later than usual, trying to map out some kind of plan, but while_ Mary Margaret _might have been organized, she wasn’t interested in plans. She wanted spontaneous suffering and unexpected misery. She wasn’t going to seek revenge in waves like  Regina, she was just going to go in for it._

_She lurked outside the Slayer’s house, eyes on her room, waiting for the lights to go out. When they did, she was going to wait just a bit longer, hopefully she would already be asleep and could get in. She never taught Emma about uninvitations, and unless Emma had already read through all the books she had inevitably stolen from Snow’s home, she would still be able to get into the house. And knowing how much Emma hated reading, she knew she had nothing to worry about._

_When she thought enough time had passed, she crept up to Emma’s window, crouching on the small area of roof before pushing in the window, conveniently unlocked. It was interesting to her how the curtains were drawn, as Emma had once said she felt safer with them open, knowing that the sun would beam through for most of the day, but as soon as she pushed them back and climbed in, it all made sense._

_Well, the curtain thing did anyway._

_Emma had a vampire in her bed. And not just any vampire._ Regina _. Regina, her arch nemesis, who she had been looking for for the past couple of nights was lying in the Slayer’s bed. “How interesting,” Snow muttered as she paced the room, checking to see how asleep they really were._

_Emma was on her back, her breathing regular. Her heartbeat was a little erratic, but Snow snorted to herself, thinking that it must be because she was sleeping with the enemy. Or not? Regina was on her stomach, an arm draped over Emma’s torso, snoring lightly. This was going to be fun._

_She started making noises, things that would be considered_ totally normal _but definitely weren’t given the circumstances, and just like she hoped, Emma was the first to wake up. Her eyes had hardly opened when she was sitting up in bed, panicking without so much as a clue why. “Fuck!”_

_It only got better when Emma woke Regina up. The vampire was completely useless, still half asleep as she mumbled incoherently, and the Slayer shot her a look that actually made Snow laugh out loud. She couldn’t believe that this nocturnal monster won’t wake up to fight off the other one. Emma screamed at her again. “Regina! Wake the hell up! Snow’s in my fucking room!”_

_This time it worked. Regina’s eyes were open, not wide, but they were open. Her lack of reaction made Snow wonder if she knew what had happened to her. But given her position next to the Slayer, it was safe to assume she did. She looked around in confusion, like she didn’t believe her. “How?”_

_Snow decided to take the opportunity to jump into the conversation, not that Emma was coherent enough in her hysteria to answer. “She invited me, obviously. I’m just as welcome here, as you are, Regina, only I’ve never slept over here. You really must be special.”_

_Emma’s eyebrows shot up, while the vampire next to her dismissed the insinuation entirely as whatever remnants of sleep disappeared entirely as she looked to Emma in disbelief. “You didn’t uninvite her?”_

_The Slayer grew even more frantic as she looked from vampire to vampire. “I’m sorry! I forgot! Plus I didn’t even know I could uninvite her! You didn’t say anything, and who was gonna tell me? Her?” She was basically screaming by the end, and Snow wondered if August and Marco would get brought into this as well._

_“Oh, she’s right, Regina.” Snow mocked, “You’re basically her new Watcher now. Let’s see how good you are at looking out for her.” She lunged at the Slayer, her hands just wrapping around her throat when she was suddenly shoved away until her back hit the wall with a hard thud. She was disoriented for a moment until she realized that Regina had her pinned to the wall, snarling, her face vamped out and twisted in anger. She had managed to pull her hands above her head with one hand while her other arm pressed into her throat._

_“Don’t you fucking touch her,” Regina growled. Snow’s so surprised at how defensive she was that she didn’t even know what to say. “I promised her I wouldn’t kill you, but I swear to god, if you lay so much as a finger on her, I will destroy you.”_

_The vampire’s intensity was undeniable intimidating, but without a soul, Snow finally felt like she was a match. “Oh, I’d like to see you try,” she cackled, amused._

_“Don’t test me,” Regina hissed. “The only reason you’re getting out of here alive is because of her. I don’t want you coming back. Got it?”_

_“Oh, sorry, I already have plans to come back tomorrow night,” Snow taunted, totally unafraid. Regina may have been soulless, but her threats sounded empty, and if she was sharing a bed with the Slayer, it was clear whose side she was on, not that Snow would have ever considered that they were fighting for the same team. She’d be against Regina even if they were both trying to kill Emma, two different strands of evil._

_“We’ll see about that,” Regina growled. Snow hardly had a chance to smirk at the vampire before she felt her feet lift off the ground. One second she was staring at Regina’s eyes, flaring with anger, and the next she was flying through the air, and landing in the grass outside. She heard the window slam shut and lock, and Snow gaped up at it. “I can’t believe she threw me out the fucking window!” Snow muttered. And if she didn’t want revenge before, she certainly wanted it now._

_Even worse, nothing had happened. They just went right back to their night, and Snow was out of options for making the night interesting. She didn’t have invites into anyone else’s home, and by the looks of it, no one was aimlessly wandering around._

_That left one option she was willing to consider._ Underbrooke _._

_It wasn’t as crowded as it could have been, given that it was past midnight on a Tuesday, but since it was the only place still open, and Storybrooke was filled with unsatisfied, restless cretins, both human and vampire and whatever the fuck else, it was still the best alternative._

_Snow wasn’t sure what her plans for the night entailed, but she figured she’d either have a good time with some human and be fed, or she would meet up with some vampires she could torment the town with. Either way, it was going to be interesting, she was sure of it._

_She ordered herself a drink and enjoyed the vibe of the club, danced to the music with the people around her, never sticking too close to one person for too long, and when she’d finished her drink, she went for another, letting it take her over, grateful that vampires could get drunk. Or at least,_ she _could._

 _She was walking back from the bar, having just ordered her third drink, and she felt very good about the night so far until some_ idiot _wasn’t watching where he was going. They collided and her drink spilled, and she actually growled at him._

 _Mid growl, she stopped, staring at him in surprise. He was a kid. Well, maybe not a_ kid _, but he was certainly younger than her. Maybe Emma’s age or a few years older. She didn’t feel bad for growling at him, teenager or not, but she did tone it down at least, tapering off into a scoff. “Watch where you’re going.”_

_He just smirked. “I’ll buy you another one,” he offers, quirking an eyebrow. It’s the most pretentious thing she’s ever seen._

_“Yeah, like you’re old enough.”_

_“Hey! I’m older than you think,” he said flashing her a smile that looked like it was supposed to mean something. Lucky for him, she got it._

_“The number of years you’ve been on this earth don’t matter. It’s what’s on the ID that gets you the drinks.”_

_He rolled his eyes. “Fine, don’t take a free drink. Your loss. Just thought we could have a good time. If you know what I mean,” he said, eyes going dark for just a moment in a way that caught Snow’s attention. She was looking for trouble, and this kid knew where to find it._

_“Who are you?”_

_“Someone who can help. You’re Snow, right?”_

_“Tell me who you are first,” she demanded._

_“I’m someone who can help you get what you want the most.”_

_Snow scoffed, “And what do I want the most?”_

_“Revenge on Regina Mills.” Snow’s expression suddenly grew serious, while the guy’s smirk stayed in place. “Ah, see. I know a thing or two about revenge. If you want to come with me, I’ll introduce you to someone who can help you. We all want the same thing. We want you on our side, Snow.”_

_She hesitated, just for a moment. She’d wanted spontaneity and she wanted revenge. Here she was being offered both. So she stuck out her hand, taking his with hers. “Deal. When are we going.”_

_He shrugged. “Let’s go now.”_

_He led her out of Underbrooke, and Snow didn’t think twice about the journey for the entire walk there. And regardless, she was more interested in this_ revenge on Regina _thing. But the kid wouldn’t tell her anything about it._

_Instead, she found out that her new companion’s name was Killian and he was actually nineteen and had a fake ID. He had a personal vendetta to get revenge on his father for abandoning him and basically leaving him to die, but otherwise is a big fan of revenge in general. “Getting revenge makes people more...powerful. You know? It’s winning at its finest.”_

_Killian lead her into a crypt that connected to the underground passages, and they went through a few twists and turns until they made it into this cave, large and full of structures made of stone, acting as columns and walls. “How’d you find this place?” Snow asked in awe._

_Killian chuckled. “You’ll find out. There are easier ways to get here, but once_ he _can trust you, we’re not going to tell you. This place is cloaked by magic, to make sure the wrong people don’t find us.”_

_Snow nodded in understanding, “Smart move.”_

_“Of course it is. Now c’mon, there’s someone you need to meet.”_

_Killian lead her through another maze, and they ended up in a dark corner, uncomfortable and damp to put it nicely, and Snow couldn’t stop the way her lip curled at the looks of it as they walk by. “He’s a bit weird. Don’t mention it.” She wasn’t planning on it._

_There was a pathway leading up to a cage-like room, only it wasn’t locked. The uniquely makeshift bars cover most of the area, except for the door was swung open._

_“If we need to lock anyone up, we put them in here. It’s impossible to escape from, but if we don’t have any, he likes to hang out in here. It’s like, his space, I guess. Probably cause it’s quiet back here. Secluded.”_

_Suddenly there was a high pitched giggle just before a man appeared, his wild eyes going bright when he saw Snow. “Ohh, looky here, we’ve got ourselves a slaypire.”_

_She rolled her eyes, “No one says that.”_

_“I said it,” the man said, looking disgruntled and irritated, an unamused grimace playing at his lips._

_“Whatever,” Snow shifted on her feet, taking another look around before turning her attention back to the man. “So I hear you can help me get revenge?”_

_“With a price…” the man snickered._

_Snow glared at Killian who never once mentioned money. “What’s the price? I was a librarian, so forgive me if I don’t have the funds,” she said, her voice a low growl._

_The man giggled again, even more loud and high pitched. “Oh, no, I don’t want your money. No, this is more important than that. All I ask is that you help me. We can both get what we want so long as you do what I say. Deal?”_

_“Sure. Why not,” Snow said, offering her hand. The man looked at it before pinching at it between his thumb and index finger and lowering it back to Snow’s side like he was afraid of it’s germs._

_“That’s not how I make deals. If you knew who I was, you would know this”_

_Snow huffed impatiently. “Then who are you? How do you make deals?”_

_The man giggled again. “Sealed with a kiss,” he said tilting her head with his hand. “The name is Rumple. And it looks like we’ve got a deal.”_

* * *

 

Regina blinks at Snow, eyes wide, but she’s not only stopped talking, she’s looking back at everyone like the story’s over. But it can’t be. Not there. Not now. “Snow?” the vampire states more than asks, just to be sure she didn’t drift off.

“What?”

“What happened next?”

Snow took an uncomfortable breath, twiddling her thumbs and actively avoiding making eye contact with Regina. “That’s it. That’s all I remember,” she mutters.

“It’s what?!”

“Regina, calm down. It’s fine…” David starts. The vampire gives him an agitated glare. Snow shifts in her seat.

“How is it fine? She only has half her memories, and it’s the _useless_ half! It’s obvious now that Rumple is in Storybrooke and he’s up to something. Clearly Snow’s memories hold the answers to what he’s up to.”

“Yes, but Regina, she doesn’t _have_ her memories. Not all of them.” She shakes her head in disbelief. Is she really the only one worried about this?

“Right, but she just got these, so I’m sure we can get the rest. Clearly Emma used magic. Or, well, _Rumple_ used magic, and Emma carried it out. I bet we can do the same. Rumple is a powerful wizard, but August has at least _some_ talent. And my magic is dormant, but innate. We just need to try harder.”

Everyone nods in agreement, except for Snow who just looks guilty. David squeezes her hand, “Hey, don’t worry. We know some things now, so it wasn’t totally unhelpful. We know that Rumple is definitely a part of this, and that Killian and him are working together. We may not know what they need Emma for, but we know more than we did. We’re closer to putting the pieces together.” Snow nods, but still looks uneasy. Her eyes shift to Regina, which prompts David to add, “Right, Regina?”

The vampire lets out a long sigh. She finally nods, “Right.”

Regina stops participating in the conversation, lost in her thoughts about magic and Snow’s memories and Rumple and why she can’t seem to remember where she saw Emma. The obvious solution is for her to embrace her innate magic. If she were to accept it and start seriously practicing, everything could potentially be in her reach, but she isn’t sure she wants to give in to magic.

Honestly, it still terrifies her. She doesn’t want to become like her mother.

She returns to the conversation, hoping they’ve come up with something that doesn’t involve Regina’s magic. She plans to put off using it for as long as she can. It’ll be a last ditch effort. If they _need_ magic, August can do it. Regina will just pass.

“This is serious though,” Ruby says. “I think we should go back the Apprentice. I mean, none of us have talked to him since we found out they took Emma’s soul, right? I think he could help. I say we go back today.”

Regina scoffs, “What if he’s not there again?”

“Then at least we can look for more books?” Neal shrugs. “There’s always _something_ useful in the magic shop, right?”

So they all agree to head out together, making the most of their day. The car ride is awkward and tense. No one mentions Snow’s memories, but it’s clearly something weighing heavy on most of them, especially the woman herself.

Regina thinks the whole trip is going to be made in silence, with all of them stewing in their own worries, but then Neal speaks up, asking a question that Regina hadn’t even considered.

“So I know we talked about vampires earning their souls, but… um, Emma isn’t a vampire. Does she get her soul back by earning it back or will it need to be restored with magic?”

Initially, his question is met with a stiff silence, and Regina almost wants to cry. What if they can’t bring it back? Can she earn it? She’d kissed Snow and told David it wouldn’t work for him either, so that meant True Love’s Kiss, hadn’t it? But then she’s waved her eyebrows at Regina. If it wouldn’t work for her too, wouldn’t Emma have said that as well? Can she bring Emma’s soul back with a kiss? They hadn’t kissed since it was taken, so it’s possible. Regina feels hope at the idea, and she decides to find her when they get back. To kiss her with all the love she can fucking muster.

“I don’t know,” is the only answer Neal gets before the car falls back to silence.

Regina’s going to find out.

But first they have to talk to the Apprentice.

Regina falls behind as everyone walks into the library and to the back. They guy at the customer service desk smiles and waves at them. “He’s here this time,” he says. “You can go on back.”

“Thank god,” Regina mutters. She ignores the look the guy gives her when she walks by, following her friends into the back room and picking a seat at the large table, next to David and Ruby.

The Apprentice smiles up at them, walking to join them at the giant round table. “Welcome back,” he says before his face goes somber. “I’m sorry to hear you haven’t had any luck yet. What can I do for you today?”

“Do you know what’s happened?” August asks first.

The Apprentice shakes his head. “The last I heard, the Slayer was kidnapped. We discussed the prophecy about the Anointed and the Master.”

“But you don’t know anything else.”

His face is unreadable, but Regina can tell that he does know. In a way. She almost cringes at the idea that prophecies foretold this. That this was always going to happen to Emma, and that this man has to live his life carrying the burdens of other people’s sufferings.

“I know many things. But I want you to tell me what _you_ know.”

August looks to Regina, asking her with his eyes to tell the story. She’d rather not, but she does anyway. “They took her soul,” she explains to him. She talks about running into Emma (sharing _some_ of the details, more from the second time than the first), the situation about the memories, the confirmed involvement with Rumple, and the whole time the Apprentice just nods impassively. “We don’t know what to do, and coming to you for help seemed like the most reasonable option,” she concludes.

“Yeah, and I’m pretty worried about how she’s gonna get her soul back,” Neal adds. “Well, I’m sure we all are, but I just wanted to say it.”

Regina smiles at him. “We’re worried about everything happening with Rumple and the prophecies and whoever the Master is, but Emma is definitely our first priority,” she nods.

“And my memories,” Snow adds.

“Yeah, those too,” Regina agrees.

“You can help us, can’t you?” August asks, all eyes on the Apprentice as they wait with baited breath - even the vampires who don’t need oxygen at all.

The Apprentice lets out a long puff of air, the kind that’s usually made right before someone says something they regret, and it’s enough to set Regina on edge, knowing that the man was this reluctant about it made it clear that this was complicated. Not that she didn’t already realize.

“I believe I can help you, yes, but there will be a price.”

“We’ll pay it,” Snow blurts. “No matter the cost, we’ll pay it.”

“It isn’t a matter of money,” the Apprentice says gravely.

“Then what is it?” David asks. “Someone’s life? Someone else’s soul? Our memories? Is it so bad that we would be losing Emma another way just at the cost of her having her soul again?” With every one of David’s questions, Regina just became more and more nervous. Everyone was saying a lot of things she’d never considered before.

“The price may not be inherently _bad_ ,” he explains, “But it _will_ be life altering. Nothing will be the same.” His voice is certain, but he’s still more apprehensive than anything. Regina glances around at the others, nodding as they take his words at face value, but Regina can’t shake the sense of unease at whatever this _life changing possibility_ will be.

“You know what it is, don’t you? It’s in a prophecy,” Regina says.

The Apprentice looks up at her, holding her gaze for a beat before he finally says. “Yes.” The vampire lets out a frustrated sigh, sick and tired of prophecies. “But you do remember what I said… about prophecies and their exactness?”

“Nothing is set to happen one way, it’s just set to happen.”

“Exactly. And like I said, it might not be considered _bad_ at all. It’s a matter of perspective.”

Regina rolls her eyes, “This is ridiculous. If it’s going to happen regardless, do we really need to concern ourselves with fate? What matters is saving Emma. I don’t care what the consequences are, or when they happen, or what the price is. If there’s something we can do to save her, I want in.”

The Apprentice glances at her before looking to the rest, hoping for some kind of consensus, and Regina doesn’t really care what they all think, she’ll glare at them until they nod if she has to. Fortunately, it doesn’t come to that, and Snow’s face relaxes a little before she gives a firm nod. “I agree.”

The rest of the crew follow suit shortly after. “Me too,” says August, the last to agree, and once he’s said it, the Apprentice nods back.

“Alright then. I’ll help you. It won’t be immediate, however, so I’ll need you to keep patience with me.”

It’s vague enough to irritate Regina, but for the most part, she doesn’t care. If the Apprentice can keep his promise, Emma will have her soul. “This _will_ work, won’t it?”

“You have to understand, Regina,” he says, addressing her directly, his voice low, “There’s no guarantee. The plan I’m going for could fail entirely. I’m tying something into a prophecy, playing with the laws of time and nature, and meddling with the universe doesn’t always work. It’s more powerful than I ever could hope to be. I’m going to try, but in the event that I can’t do anything, I need you to be prepared for that.”

“I’ve got it,” Regina mumbles.

“Could it make things worse?” David asks.

“I don’t know. My gift of foresight is only so effective. I don’t know how some things come to be, just that they do. It’s very complicated, even for me, but I’m going to bring someone far wiser than me into it, the Sorcerer.”

David’s eyebrows raise and his eyes widen so big that regina is alarmed by proxy, but no one else seems as shook by his reaction. “The Sorcerer?” he asks. “I…” but he trails off, letting the Apprentice reclaim the conversation.

But he doesn’t mention the Sorcerer again, and David doesn’t bring it back up. “Yes, I’ll keep you updated as I see fit. For now, I suggest you keep up what you’ve been doing.”

“Of course,” David says, eyes downcast like he’s only half listening, and Regina suddenly feels like she needs to be anywhere else, so she stands and walks briskly from the room, ignoring the curious glances from the Apprentice and her friends.

She wanders to the same couch Emma had once chased her to, where she had held her until she felt okay again, where she had opened up about her past more than ever before, and finally had confided about magic, but this time, there is no Emma to chase her out of the room and follow behind her to make sure she’s fine, to hold her until she knows she is.

Alone, she wraps her arms around her legs and sets her head against her knees. This is the least she’s felt since regaining her soul - almost numb, but not quite unfeeling. Emma made her feel, lifted her up, but without her, she’s sinking down, not far enough to give into her anger but not high up enough to give into hope.

She jumps when she feels the couch shift, and before she looks, she tries to guess who it is. She hears a healthy and steady heartbeat, so it isn’t Snow. She smells human blood, so it isn’t Ruby. There’s no nervous blushing from the pending conversation, and she gives up when everything remains normal.

She finally glances up, and _of course_ it’s David, she should have known. He just gives her a soft David smile, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. She already knows he’s just looking out for her. He doesn’t want her to be alone, and he knows that Emma wouldn’t like him just letting Regina sulk, so he’s doing his part, almost like he’s filling in her role as Regina’s protector.

It’s appreciated. Saying _thank you_ seems like the clear solution, and she’s torn between that or continuing the silence, but then she thinks about David’s avoidance at the mention of _the Sorcerer_ , and she thinks maybe she should ask him. But he looks so peaceful, and quite frankly, Regina is tired of all these nameless _the_ people ( _the_ Master _, the_ Anointed, _the_ Apprentice, _the_ Sorcerer) that she just lets it go. If it really mattered, David would have said something. Maybe he still will in their next meeting.

She decides on continuing the silence just as David speaks, “Regina, if you ever need to talk…”

“I’m fine,” she snaps before he can finish, lying and hoping it’s convincing. It’s not. She knows it and she knows he knows it, but he nods anyways, looking back to his hands folded across his lap, and there’s something in his eyes that makes Regina wish she hadn’t snapped.

She whispers a soft “I’m sorry,” loud enough that he can hear but quiet enough that he knows not to respond. They’ve lost their daughter _again_ , and Regina’s been so broken that she hadn’t stopped to consider that they might be even worse off than her.

 _But they have each other_.

She shakes the thought from her mind. _No, that’s not fair._ She can’t even imagine what they’re going through, losing a child. She wonders what they would do to prevent it. If they would have sacrificed themselves in her place.

“We should go back,” Regina hears herself saying. “Home.”

And David nods in agreement as they stand and silently meet back up with everyone and head out. The Apprentice waves them off with a hardly reassuring, “I’ll be in touch,” and Snow gives him the smile that Regina fails to.

If they talk on the drive back, Regina misses all of it, thoughts drifting back to Emma and True Love’s Kiss.

She has to try.

It’s dark when they get back, and Regina makes a feeble excuse to wander off alone, claiming that she needs something from home, and for a moment, she debates going there, wondering if Emma would show up again and knowing she won’t.

She walks by though, just to see, but she can’t sense anything, can’t detect Emma’s scent or her presence, and she kicks herself once again, even though she knows that magic is the thing keeping her from remembering where to find Emma. She wonders if she’d learned magic all those years ago, would she be able to remember? Would she be able to save Emma? Would she be a part of her life at all?

The thought of possibility and prophecy makes Regina shudder again. It was always going to happen. Does that take away their free will or are they just always destined to make the same choices in every imagining of any given circumstance?

She’s so lost in thought that when she breaks from it finally, she finds herself standing outside her old place of residence - her father’s crypt, and she’s so full of so many emotions - grief at his absence, bittersweetness at the memory of living here, brokenness at losing Emma, and she fights back a sob as she decides to enter, if just for some time alone. Her old bed is still here along with some of her old things, and if she wanted to crash here, no one would think to look here, not even Emma

There’s no point in looking for someone she’s unable to find, untraceable by magic, and the hunt is so depressing that Regina thinks she should quit while she’s ahead. So she pushes the door in with a hard shove, but the scent that hits her once the door loses behind her is so strong and so familiar that she almost passes out.

Emma’s here.

There’s the sudden movement of the Slayer scrambling to her feet, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, and it’s such a normal human reaction that Regina feels her heart lurching in her chest, but she doesn’t let herself smile.

She glances around the crypt and is surprised at the warmth it holds. Has Emma been sleeping here? She looks for an answer in Emma’s panicked green eyes, and when the blonde swallows hard and gives a near imperceptible shake of her head, Regina gets the answer. Her chest swells with hope, stronger than it has in the last few days, and it gives her the courage she needs to step closer to Emma, reaching out to her without fear of rejection.

She expects the blonde to push away, to turn and deny Regina’s advance, or to run altogether, but the opposite happens. Emma grips Regina’s waist with one hand, the other tangling into her hair as soon as their lips meet. When Emma’s kissing her back as fervently as Regina is, the vampire lets out something somewhere between a sob and a moan, and when she feels Emma smiling against her, she doesn’t think about the fact that she doesn’t feel any magic or the spark of electricity that was there the first time.

Regina pulls away just enough to breathe out Emma’s name before bringing their lips back together again, softer and slower, but as they find their rhythm, Emma pulls away.

“Regina,” she says, almost a whimper, and the vampire opens her eyes to see Emma’s on her, an inevitable longing overshadowed by the same coldness she’d seen last time. “That’s not going to work.” Regina feels her heart sinking, but she tries not to let it show on her face as Emma’s eyes look for the falter. “That was one hell of a kiss though,” she purrs, leaning back to Regina for another.

She should push her away.

She should tell her _no, I’m not kissing you until you’re_ my _Emma again_.

But she doesn’t.

Instead she pulls Emma back, kissing her harder than before, not stopping the tears as they fall, and not stopping her hands as they explore Emma’s body as they stumble back to the bed. She lets herself indulge as Emma offers herself to Regina, looking vulnerable as she lies unclothed on the bed, sounding _soulful_ as she sighs Regina’s name as the vampire tastes _her_ , not her blood, feeling harmless as she intertwines her fingers with Regina’s when the rest of her is out of reach, and when she’s satisfied and insists on making sure to return the favor, the vampire shuts her down with a long, lingering kiss that makes Emma’s heart skip.

Emma’s eyes stay closed as Regina pulls away, and she swiftly disappears from the crypt, keeping her cries in until she’s out of range, and once they start, they fall until she’s back in Emma’s room, changed into her clothes and curled up into her bed.

She falls asleep in Emma’s bed thinking of her again, and wondering if Emma is doing the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how did you react? are you screaming? are you squinting at me? (CJ i'm looking at you) are you crying? are you ready for the next update? all of the above? idk thanks for reading!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter is... interesting. sorry it's a little late!! again.

After that night, Regina doesn’t go back to her crypt, or even to her own home. Instead, she basically moves in with David and Snow, and if she ever needs anything from her own home, she asks Snow to retrieve it, not wanting to risk running into Emma. It’s too hard, having her but not really having her, and she doesn’t think she can take feeling Emma or seeing her smile knowing that it’s all fake.

But maybe it isn’t all fake, she thinks. Maybe there’s a part of Emma that still wants her, maybe even a part that still _needs_ her, but Regina doesn’t want to challenge that idea only to find out that none of it means anything.

The hope she had from Emma staying in her crypt, sleeping in her old bed with blankets still carrying her smell, has shattered and has been replaced by a settling depression that keeps her alone in Emma’s sweatpants and in Emma’s bed that now smells more like herself than the blonde.

Snow makes her way upstairs frequently, and even when she just hovers outside, Regina knows she’s there, but there are a few times she just lets herself in, pushing a mug of blood to Regina’s mouth and insisting “You have to eat.”

The vampire always accepts, maybe not always with a smile, but she accepts, and this time, when Snow asks her again, “Something changed. What happened?” Regina actually responds, knowing that she owes the other vampire an explanation for being entirely unresponsive to her hope speeches.

“True Love’s Kiss didn’t work,” she finally admits, just as Snow had gotten up to leave.

The woman turns back to her with a quizzical stare, “She said it wouldn’t.”

“With you....” Regina says, and it sounds ruder than she meant it, and she looks away so she doesn’t have to see Snow’s reaction. After a long silence, she thinks the vampire has just gone back downstairs, but the weight on the bed shifts again and Regina feels a gentle hand on her knee.

“We’ll save her, Regina. There’s always a way.”

“I guess…”

“True Love’s Kiss isn’t always the answer.” Regina nods, remembering an evil Snow kissing David and throwing him down, still evil. It makes her feel better, but she doesn’t say as much out loud. “I’ll be downstairs if you want to talk. Everyone is coming over later for more research if you want to join us.

“Thanks,” Regina mumbles. “I might.”

Snow smiles at her as she leaves, and Regina spends another hour lying in bed trying to decide if she wants to even look at a book for answers. The lack of help makes her feel even worse, but maybe she’s been researching the wrong stuff.

She’d veered away from their game plan, only to look into True Love’s Kiss and the phenomena of soulless humans and all the depressing stories that came with the topic. She decides to switch it up tonight and take a more _Neal_ approach to research, looking up stuff that she found interesting enough to not frown while reading it.

Everyone is already there when she gets downstairs, and she gets more warm smiles than she thinks she deserves.

The minute she so much as looks at the stack of books, she recoils, unable to even pick one up, so she ends up curled up in the empty space on the couch next to Neal, reading along with him, head resting on his shoulder as she tries not to cry. He switches out his book for something called _From Dracula to Twilight: Real Vampires React to Human Imaginings of Vampires in Media_ , and Regina suspects he’s on to her, but if he is, he doesn’t say anything.

Nothing comes up, not in their book of course, but not in anyone else’s either, and they agree that maybe they should patrol tomorrow since research has been so unsuccessful. Regina agrees, thinking that at the very least, killing a few vamps would be a productive distraction, unlike reading about bitter vampires who wish they could glitter in the sun rather than die.

Regina offers Neal a silent _thank you_ but otherwise tries to slip away. She jumps when she feels a hand to her shoulder, stopping her. “Regina?”

“Ruby. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course! I, uh.. I just had an idea. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, but I think we should have a sleepover.” Regina opens her mouth but is speechless. “I feel like you could use some quality girl time, y’know? I’m here for you, and you’re like a second sister to me, Emma being the first,” she adds with a sad smile, “But I don’t feel like I show it enough. What d’ya say?”

“I’ve never had a sleepover before,” she says. Ruby snorts. “Okay, you know what I mean. The ones with Emma don’t count. There were… circumstances.”

“It’s fun. We just sit in the dark and gossip. Talk about girl stuff. It can be serious or funny. Or we could watch a movie. We can stay up late or just go to sleep. We can have snacks? There’s no rules.”

“Um, okay.”

And that’s how Regina ends up having her first platonic sleepover.

She shifts awkwardly in the bed, not sure if this is supposed to feel as weird as it does. With Emma, all she had wanted to do was roll over and close the distance between them, but now, she’s grateful for the space and she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Ruby makes the vampire in a coffin joke, and Regina groans into her hands.

“You know, Emma made that same joke.”

“She did?”

“Yeah,” Regina laughs.

“Is that when you guys started cuddling?” The vampire snorts in the negative. “Yeah, you guys were really dense back then.” They laugh a little (and by they, it’s mostly Ruby), and then the werewolf asks, “Did she ever tell you about the rainbow?”

“That what?”

Ruby belts out a laugh, “Oh god, I can’t believe she never told you! It was priceless, especially when you ended up being a part of it.” Regina turns towards Ruby, invested in whatever _rainbow_ she was somehow a part of. “Okay so, you remember the dance? Oh, who am I kidding, of course you remember it.” Regina’s eyes flicker to the picture next to the bed. Her and Emma’s first picture together.

“Okay so this was back when Emma was on edge about the whole sexuality thing. She was really embarrassed, and if she knew she was gay then, she was quick to deny it. I guess you helped her realize, but anyway.” Regina laughs, remembering how skittish Emma was when Regina had first started dancing with her. “I color coordinated all our outfits for the dance to make a _gay ass rainbow,_ and Emma was so annoyed with me for it. The only color we were missing was purple, so when you showed up in a purple dress… well. I would have killed to see Emma’s face when she realized.”

Regina sat up on her side, propping herself up on her elbow, realization dawning on her, “Oh my god, _that’s_ why she pointed out the color of my dress?” Ruby nods and the two burst out into laughter. It dies down, and Regina feels significantly more comfortable.

After a long silence, Ruby finally says, “She’s _so_ in love with you, Regina. You should have seen her in the beginning, before TLK. She was so concerned about you and whatever your relationship was then and what it was going to become.”

Regina stiffens at the mention of True Love’s Kiss, and Ruby notices, turning to face her.

“I know things are hard right now, but I really believe she’ll be okay. She was fighting so hard to protect you, and you’re doing the same for her now. A love that strong isn’t just going to disappear.”

The vampire gives her friend a tight nod, closing her eyes, trying to fight the tears that always seem to come. “Thanks, Ruby.”

“I mean it, alright?” Regina nods again, eyes still closed. “Let’s get some sleep okay? We’ll need it if we’re patrolling again tomorrow.” She feels the werewolf shift until she’s lying on her other side.

Regina gets comfortable, and like most nights, she falls asleep thinking of Emma, but this time she doesn’t feel as hopeless.

By the time the next night rolls around, Regina feels moderately better. Ruby had managed to get her out of bed, convincing her that it would be awesome to make David and Mary Margaret an awesome breakfast, “to cheer them up,” she had said.

And of course Regina wanted to cheer them up, so she’d climbed out of bed with purpose, smiling herself when Mary Margaret and David smiled. She would do this every day if it made them feel better.

She’d kept her mood up throughout the day, with the help of her friends keeping her distracted and with the excitement she felt about patrolling tonight. She’d been slacking, not leaving the house and not helping save the world, but it had just reminded her that Emma was off on the wrong side, and all she wanted was to not think about it while they waited on whatever help the Apprentice was offering while August practiced magic. A few times he tried to get her to learn with him, but using magic gave her an uneasy feeling, and she turned him down every time.

Now they’re going out together to patrol, except for August and David who are staying at home for magic practice, and as long as she can keep herself from thinking _if only Emma could be here_ , it’s going to be fine.

And it is.

They go out to a few graveyards and slay a few brash vampires who are up to no good, and it’s not what Regina would call _fun_ per se, but they’re making a difference and she knows Emma would be proud.

“I think we should do this more often,” Regina says, turning to Snow with a smile. “I feel really good about this, like something is actually being accomplished.”

“I know what you mean,” she says, returning the smile. She’s about to say something else, but when her mouth opens, another speaks from somewhere behind Regina, snakey and familiar, immediately putting everyone on guard.

“Killian,” Regina hisses. The last time she saw him, his teeth were in Emma’s arm, drinking her, and now he’s giving her a knowing smirk.

“What? You’re not happy to see me?”

“Give me one reason why I should be,” she growls.

“Well, getting back off human blood might be good for your soul, don’t you think?” His cocky grin only widens, and Regina growls at his implication that Emma is no longer _hers_ to feed from, ignoring the way that Snow shifts on her feet, somewhere between uncomfortable at the words and angry at the person saying them.

Regina surprises them and herself when she comes at him, shoving him hard but not enough to knock him to the ground. “Emma doesn’t belong to anybody. She can make whatever choices she wants.”

“Hmm, I don’t believe I ever mentioned Emma,” he retorts, “But now that you bring it up, you’re absolutely right. She is making her own decisions, and from what you saw last week, I think you know what those decisions are.” He smirks again, and then he’s on the ground, Regina’s fist in his face and her knee in his stomach.

She hits him so hard that she busts his lip, and when he laughs at her, his teeth are stained with blood. “Fuck off,” she spits back at him as she feels Snow coming up behind her, tugging on her arm, and she wants to hit him one more time before she gets up, but she settles on pushing off against him with enough force to elicit a grunt as she stands.

He props himself up before also rolling to his feet. “And you,” he starts, pointing at Snow, “I never got to yell at you for going rogue. We could have had everything, but you had to go fuck it up with your own personal plan for revenge. But I guess if it means we got Emma, even if it took longer, it’s worth it,” he sneers, and this time Snow is the one to go after him.

However, he’s prepared this time, and he hits her first, harder than necessary, sending her staggering backwards. Ruby is quick to break her fall as Neal rushes to her defense alongside Regina. She kicks the vampire backwards with all the force she has and he flies backwards, knocking into a tree. “Check on Snow,” Regina instructs Neal, “I’ll take care of this demon.”

By the time she’s moving back toward him, he’s already back on his feet, so they meet in the middle, throwing punches and gripping at each other, fighting for the upper hand. When Regina thinks she’s got it, he blocks her punch before throwing one of his own, knocking her so hard in the head it makes her dizzy, and she’s not sure if he’s hit her again until she feels the blood running from her nose.

It takes a moment where Killian is just standing over her laughing, having just knocked her over a headstone for Regina to regain dominance over the situation. She kicks his feet out from under him, sending him to the floor and disorienting him just enough to pin him to the ground, Emma’s stake pressed to his chest.

“Don’t I get some last words?” Killian taunts.

“You get nothing,” Regina growls.

She’s about to push the stake through his heart when Snow is suddenly there, crouching beside them, telling her not to. “He owes me.” She says, urging Regina with her eyes full of fire.

“What?” Regina exclaims. “He deserves to die. He doesn’t owe us anything except his death.”

“My memories…” Snow mutters. “He said he could help.”

Killian laughs from underneath her stake, and she pokes him until he stops. “What?” she snaps.

“It’s just funny. My last words _would_ have been about her memories, if you’d given me a choice. I can give them all back to her.” Snow’s eyes widen and she almost pushes Regina off of him, but the vampire doesn’t plan on moving anytime soon.

“How?” Snow asks, and her voice is breathless, like she’s found the answer to everything. Regina wants to turn and shake her, yell at her that Killian can’t be trusted and he’s still her enemy, but Snow knows her words before she even says them. “This might be my only chance. It’s my mind, and I’m willing to take the risk.”

Killian bypasses Regina’s glares at both the vampires next to her and looks right to Snow. “If you have her unhand me, I’ll give you your memories back.”

Regina scoffs, “Snow, no! He’s not even a wizard. Think about it. How can he _possibly_ give you your memories?”

“It’s a potion,” Killian rushes to explain. “If she drinks it, they’ll all come back. Not just some of them like the last time but all the rest of them.”

“Regina, let him go.”

The vampire turns to gape at the other woman. “Are you serious?!”

“Regina,” Snow warns.

She holds firm for a long moment, unable to think of anything besides Killian’s untrustworthiness and her apprehension of magic. _Something isn’t right._ But Snow holds so much hope in her expression that Regina finds herself faltering, slowly releasing her grip on Killian and retreating. She glances back at Neal, whose face is a picture of worry, reflecting a majority of what Regina feels.

When she turns back to Snow, Killian is pulling a small vial from his pocket and handing it to the vampire. “Drink this, and they’ll all come back. I’m telling the truth.” Snow takes it and pockets it, and Regina cuts her off before she can thank him.

“If this is a trick, I swear to god, I _will_ kill you. I won’t hesitate next time.”

Killian stands and growls at her, “You won’t even let me help, will you? You of all people should know that there’s a fine line between good and evil, and you can still do something nice from the side deemed as evil, just like you can do something horrible when you’re fighting for the side deemed as good. You have some experience with that, don’t you?”

Regina hits him again, and he hits back. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know enough.”

As if on cue, Emma appears, just as Regina lunges for Killian again, and she jumps between them, a hand out on each side to stop them. Her eyes are wide, a slur of emotions that Regina can’t discern between, but they linger on Regina long enough to give her pause before the blonde turns to Killian, pulling him close enough to whisper in his ear, words too quiet for Regina to make out. He snarls and backs away before looking to Snow.

“We’ll see how much those memories actually help. We’re still going to win. You were just our useless pawn anyways.”

Even though Snow doesn’t remember, and can’t actually argue his point, she jumps to the defensive, “Oh yeah? Well, we have a plan. I’ll get my memories, and it will only solidify what we’re already planning. You’re not gonna win. We know more than you think, and with this,” she says, holding up the vial, “We’ll be unstoppable.”

Regina groans at her, “Snow, stop talking. That potion probably--”

“Emma, will this give me my memories back?” Snow interrupts turning hopefully to her daughter. Regina wants to scream at Snow again, but the trust she _wants_ to have in Emma wins out. The blonde surprises her when she actually answers, surprised that her opinion was wanted.

“I-- yes,” Emma says, nodding.

“Yeah, see. We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Snow continues to word vomit at a scowling Killian. He shoots Emma a look, and she immediately takes a step towards him, but then stops, turning back to Regina once more.

Something in her eyes shifts again, giving her a look almost like she’s trapped, but then the distance between them is closed and Emma’s arms are around her neck as her lips crash desperately to Regina’s. The vampire reciprocates for just a moment before Emma pushes her away, the lost look replaced with a soulless scowl as she walks back to Killian, following him out of the graveyard without looking back.

Regina stands with her fingers pressed to her lips, bewildered and unmoving until Neal is next to her, a hand on her back to lead her home.

Whatever confused daze Regina had been in is over by the time they’ve reached Snow’s, and instead of focussing on the way Emma seemed to be herself for a small moment, all she can think about is how she shoved her away, back to the Emma she was that first night crawling into Regina’s bed, the Emma she was when she let out a ruthless and humorous laugh when Regina was _concerned_ about her soul, and the Emma that lets Killian drink her blood.

But Snow is blabbering on about her memories and the potion, and Regina has pushed thoughts of Emma aside, fuming in disbelief that the other vampire could possibly believe it could help, and Neal is scurrying along behind them, trying to keep up.

Regina throws open the door to Snow’s house, “You can’t trust it. It’s _magic_.”

“Regina, _you_ have magic. David knows about magic. August is learning it. _Magic_ isn’t the issue here.”

“It is when it comes from untrustworthy people!” Regina shouts.

“But it could give me my memories, Emma said.”

“Emma isn’t really here. That’s not her. It’s just a shell of her.”

They’re yelling back and forth in the living room, and Regina senses the entrance of David and August watching the scene with confusion. Neither vampire acknowledges them. “Regina, I know, but I _need_ my memories. I don’t care how.”

“Not like this,” Regina urges.

“ _I don’t care how_ ,” Snow nearly growls out at her as she pulls the vial from her pocket, wrenches the top off and knocks it back.

“No!” Regina yells, running to the vampire as if it weren’t too late. She falls to the ground, her body quivering, eyes half open, and David is by her side in an instant.

“What was that?” he demands over Snow’s whimpers. Regina can’t answer for a moment, so shocked by the sight in front of her, so worried at what could be happening to her, and in her silence David yells again, “Was it poison?”

The vampire shakes her head in disbelief, “Killian gave it to her to restore her memories. He said… I thought it was a trap, and I didn’t want her to, but… Emma said it would do it. She said it would work. She…” she trails off, desperately wanting answers and desperately hoping that Snow will be okay.

August appears at their side, “I think I can help,” he says, waving a hand over Snow as his other grips her wrist. He does it a few more times, and they watch the woman’s spasms lessen and her eyes drift shut. To Regina’s relief, her breathing evens out.

She helps David lift her to the couch.

“Is she going to be okay?” Neal asks nervously from across the room.

“I don’t know,” David murmurs. He looks to Regina, “Do you think her memories will be restored?”

“I don’t know,” Regina echoes, her thoughts drifting to Emma’s concerned confirmation about the potion and her conflicted reaction to Regina and the vampire now lying unconscious on the couch. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

* * *

 

_Within twenty four hours, Snow had made a squad of new friends with a common enemy, made a blind deal with a total stranger, had kissed said total stranger, and had gone on a feeding spree on a bus, instructed to leave only one survivor, and by survivor, Rumple meant vampire._

_She had climbed onto the bus, acting as a passenger along with more of Rumple’s crew, Killian, a girl named Milah, and another guy named Liam, and they had waited until the bus had made it to an empty strip of road when Killian gave them the signal to strike. Twelve dead, left in the bus, crashed to the side of the road, and when Snow turned to ask Killian about the requested survivor, she had come face to face with a kid, no more than eleven but tall for his age, wearing an indifferent smirk._

_“That’d be me.”_

_Killian introduced him as Peter, Rumple’s newest accomplice, but hadn’t elaborated. Snow thought a child vampire was a bit odd, but it was maniacal and interesting, and isn’t that what she had signed up for after all? She didn’t question it._

_When they got back, Rumple took one look at Peter and smiled, giggling with delight, and Peter raised his head in response. “It’s starting. It really is,” Rumple said again. His eyes flashed to Snow, about to ask_ what _was starting, but he spoke before she could. “Why don’t you go to the Slayer’s house and tell me if they did the revocation spell?”_

_And Snow went, not about to question him and break the terms of their deal. She went straight for Emma’s window. It was well past midnight, almost morning and the lights were out, so it was the perfect opportunity to test. When she found the window cracked open, just enough to taunt her, she knew that the revocation spell had been done. No way would they leave the window unlocked and open the night after her first visit if they knew for certain there couldn’t be a second._

_She tried to climb in, and sure enough, a magical, invisible wall held her back, preventing her from so much as reaching into the house. She growled. The curtains were drawn, which led Snow to believe that Regina was in there with Emma._

_She sniffed the air, Emma’s human blood standing out the most, but Regina’s scent was drifting along with it, and the vampire couldn’t help but growl again. She heard them shift in the bed, Emma letting out a soft snore, Regina a chuckle, and Snow froze. Regina was awake._

_She jumped from the ledge and dodged behind a tree in the front yard, waiting for Regina to follow. She looked up to the window watching as Regina opened the curtains a little as she climbed from the window, turning to look back with_ something _on her face, and it made Snow think about how defensive she was the night before over Emma, and it was almost as if she had_ feelings _for her. Impossible though, she didn’t have a soul._

_But when she went back to tell Rumple about it, he giggled. “It’s very likely. They’re part of a prophecy you know.”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“You’ll see. I need you to do something for me before I tell you anything about the prophecy. Are you feeling up for it?”_

_Snow scoffed, irritated by the deflection of information. “Do I have a choice?”_

_Rumple just giggled again, “Tonight I need you to confront Emma. We need to find out where she falls in this whole… circumstance. I need you to fight her. Give her a reason to fight back. I don’t care how you do it, as long as you bring Regina into it._

_Snow nodded, “Okay.”_

_“In the meantime, you should rest up.” He shooed her away, and she wondered if there was something they weren’t telling her. No one else was instructed to sleep, but when she asked, she got a similar answer._ “You’re a special part of this plan, Snow. You’re more useful in the dark, letting your own motivations drive you rather than mine, which likely won’t affect you as strongly.”

_It made sense._

_Later that night, she woke up, and set out to find Emma and come up with some course of action. She was sneaking through one of Storybrooke’s many graveyards when she sensed something was off. A shift in the air that made her stop short, and it wasn’t long after that she heard someone moving across the yard, slipping between headstones and into the woods behind the area._

_Snow smirked when she realized it was Regina, but she said nothing, keeping her presence secret. If the vampire was lurking through the woods, hunting some bird or another harmless animal (it was unlikely she was going after a human given how soft she’s become), it meant that Emma was alone, and if Snow waited long enough, Emma would come out looking for_ her vampire _._

 _Sure enough, the Slayer wandered into the same graveyard Snow had been waiting for her in, looking disgruntled and worried, and while she was holding a stake in her hand (Snow almost snorted when she realized it was the one Regina gave her), she was clearly distracted, making it perfect for Snow to catch her off guard, winging it from there and hoping for a good opportunity to tease her about Regina and figure out where she stands on it, though she’s sure she already knows. Carrying Regina’s stake instead of literally any other one? Letting the vampire sleep in her bed? And she wasn’t_ completely _sure because Emma’s heart rate was a little erratic with the shock of Snow being in her room, but she thought Regina rushing to her defense had some effect on the blonde’s heart._

 _Without any more debating, the vampire jumped out from behind Emma and shoved her hard, sending her hurtling into a headstone, and Snow smirked at the satisfying sound of Emma cursing and trying to pick herself back up. “Fuck.” She groaned, looking at Snow like_ of course _, and resigned herself to her place on the ground for a moment._

_“Hmm,” was the only justifiable response Snow made._

_At that, Emma finally pulled herself to her feet, using the headstone for support. “What d’you want, Mary Margaret?”_

_Snow liked this game. Emma trying to throw shade, with no intent to hurt, and Snow about to do the same, but with every intent to hurt. She started with a laugh. “Oh, so I’m Mary Margaret now?”_

_Emma scoffed, hardly affected, “What, would you rather me call you Mom? You hardly deserve it. Might as well call you by your first name like I did with all my shitty foster moms.”_

Nice try, _Snow thought. “Ouch. That hurt so bad, you might not even need that shitty stake,” she laughs gesturing at it. Emma looked down at it too, and Snow was about to make another joke at her expense, put her even more on the defense, but then she heard it._

_Emma’s heart skipped a beat just as she traced over the carving of Regina’s initials in the wood. And right then, she knew where Emma stood. She’d been right. “Oh, of course.”_

_“What?” Emma responded, immediately defensive and trying to play oblivious. She was only digging herself a bigger hole, and Snow wasn’t about to let her fill it._

_“Don’t think I didn’t hear that.”_

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the Slayer tried again._

_“You’re in love with her,” Snow stated. She smirked when Emma’s heart fluttered again at the statement and held back a laugh at the way Emma squirmed on the spot. Her panic was undeniable, and Snow loved that this wasn’t just a confirmation of knowledge, but it was the perfect sore spot. Oh, she was going to do some damage alright._

_“Wh-who?” Emma’s heart beat faster, nervous under the close scrutiny. This was getting better as Snow realized that Emma didn’t even know certain bodily functions of hers were audible, not just to Snow, but to Regina._

_“Oh, don’t play dumb with me, Emma. I’m talking about Regina. I saw you dancing with her at the dance. I heard your heart jumping at the mention of her. I see the way you look at that stake. I know you’re only out here because of her.”_

_Emma’s heart rate only went faster with every mention of Regina, and it was clear the Slayer was backing down when her concern took precedence over the fight “Have you seen her?”_

_Snow snorted, unwilling to back down or let this turn into just a casual conversation. She was here to mess with Emma, and she wasn’t leaving until she won. “Look at that. You’re so worried it’s a wonder you could walk this far.” Emma scoffed, her heart rate remaining the same. Snow pushed harder, finding her way to the Slayer’s breaking point. “What, you think I’m lying? You may not have seen me since the other night, but I’ve seen you. I know Regina’s been staying at your house, in your bed. Don’t forget that I was in the room that first night. I know how you look at her, and I hear the way your body reacts to her, and if you think for one second that Regina isn’t hearing the same things, you’re only fooling yourself.”_

_“What?” The look on Emma’s face was priceless, and if the blush taking over her face was any indication, this was better than she thought. Bodily reactions weren’t just heart beats and blushes after all._

_“You heard me. She’s a vampire. She’s programmed to hear the pumping of blood, the pounding of a heart, the subtle changes in breathing. All the things you’ll never have control over, and you’re going to ruin everything.” She paused for a moment, debating which way she wanted to run this. She could either further Emma’s humiliation or go the heartbreak route. She decided the latter, having already seen her fair share of gay panic in the Slayer’s green eyes. “You’ll never be happy with her because you’ll scare her off, not that she would even want to stick around.”_

_It was effective. Emma’s breaths staggered as they started releasing slower, labored and unsteady. She watched Emma work through her memories and the events of tonight, and Snow let out a dark chuckle remembering Regina walking around alone earlier, Emma appearing later looking concerned._ Was Emma actually buying this _?_

_The sound of Emma’s stress in the irregularity of her breathing and the faltering in her heart encouraged Snow even more, and she wasn’t sure if Emma actually believed her or not, but she went on anyways, pointing out logic that she knew wasn’t true, but things Emma might actually believe. “She’s using you Emma. I can get into her crypt whenever I want to, but your house is safe for her. She’s leading you on. She’ll never love you.” She moved closer to Emma, taunting her with her words and her body language. “One day you’re probably going to become another one of her meals. You heard her that day, she only wants to kill more Slayers. That’s all you are to her, just another kill to put in her book.”_

_“You… You’re lying.” Emma shook her head, her hands coming to rest on either side as her eyes sealed shut._

_Snow laughed as the next words slid from her mouth, so easily, so perfectly, “I’m your mother, Emma, why would I lie to you?” For a moment, Snow thought Emma was going to fight back, her jaw dropping in disbelief that Snow would say that, but she didn’t give her the chance to try. “You know, they say that Slayer’s blood is an aphrodisiac. She’d probably get off on killing you. Especially in your own bed.”_

_She stood right in front of Emma, and she planned to push her next, but she waited for Emma to say anything. She surprised her by shoving her first, angry and forceful, and for a moment, Snow realized she forgot how strong Slayers can be, how capable. “Shut up!” Emma screamed, her heart pounding as her face twisted in anger, her body tremored._

_Snow gasped at her. The fucking audacity. “That was rude!” Snow didn’t hesitate before storming over to her and connecting her fist with Emma’s jaw, smirking at the sound of the contact before she kicked her back. Emma went airborne for a moment before her back hit the top of the headstone with a crack that was nearly silent as Emma’s cry of pain overshadowed it. She watched as the Slayer flipped backwards, still rolling, her head getting bumped in the process, and Snow determined that it was the most successful physical attack she had ever made, and when she smelled the blood, she grinned, proud of herself. But it wasn’t over yet. For Rumple, maybe it was, but Snow needed to see how far she could push the Slayer. Besides, she was having too much fun._

_“Get up!” she shouted. She gave Emma about ten seconds to follow instruction, and when nothing happened, she did it for her, yanking Emma up by her arm. Emma looked unstable, but she didn’t fall. The blood dripped down her face, and her eyes told Snow that she was going to win. Emma didn’t have much longer. “Fight me.”_

_Emma wobbled on the spot before wiping the blood off her face and glaring at Snow. She took too long to start an attack, making every one of her moves entirely too predictable. The vampire blocked Emma’s punch with one of her own and then yanked on Emma’s arm to throw her in the opposite direction, skewing her balance further._

_The Slayer fell to the ground again, and Snow went for another verbal jab when she didn’t immediately get back up, “What’s the matter, Slayer? Distracted by heartbreak? Shock? Humiliation? All of the above?”_

_Emma propped herself up on a grave,_ she can’t even stand. _“No, I don’t believe you,” her voice came out a low growl, and it took Snow a moment to realize that Emma’s still hooked on the_ vampire hearing bodily functions _comment. The vampire scoffed._

_“Don’t be so stupid, Emma. I know what vampires can hear, and I know you well enough to pick up on your tendencies. Even August can see it, and he’s human. You’re not at all subtle, and you know I’m right.”_

_“This isn’t about me,” Emma says, her voice growing weaker by the second._

Almost there _, Snow thinks. “Oh, right. It’s about Regina. If you love her so much, answer me this. How can you two ever be together? She’s a vampire, and you’re the Slayer. Everything about your natures are begging you to be enemies, and no matter how much you fight it, that’s all you’ll ever be.” She actually heard Emma’s heart sink just before she charged her again and threw her back in another attack._

_Emma whimpered faintly from the ground, and Snow found herself wondering how Emma would get back home. If Regina would smell her blood and come running to her aid If she would help her or be tempted._

_The vampire sauntered to Emma, standing over her and debating the end of the fight. If it was now or if there was something else to be done. A good stomp or a kick. Maybe another snide comment, but Emma coughed and wheezed out a pitiful breath, and Snow grinned at the amount of blood._

_Emma stared up, looking towards her but not at her, and she coughed again, weaker. “If you wanted to hurt me Snow, you’ve succeeded.” A beat passed and Snow opened her mouth to speak, but then Emma’s feeble mumbles found their way out. “Not just like this,” she said, hands twitching as she tried to gesture to her countless injuries. “Emotionally.”_

_Snow snorted. It really was a thorough attack. She kicked Emma’s arm enough to know that she wasn’t going to be getting up anytime soon before stepping over her limp body and leaving the graveyard, humming to herself and trying to figure out where to go next._

_The sun was almost up, and if rose before Regina realized where Emma was, who knows how much longer she would lie there unconscious. The thought made Snow giddy, and she skipped the rest of the way back to the lair, once again using the secret passageway Killian showed her first._

_Rumple was in his usual unlocked cage when she made it back, and she invited herself in. “Welcome back, dearie,” the man giggled. “Do you have news for me?”_

_“Emma’s in love with her. I caught her alone. I didn’t even have to mention Regina; I heard her heart skipping just because of that stupid stake_ she _gave her. I taunted her and I fought with her, just to see how hard I can push. She crumbled so easily,” Snow said with a snicker. “You should have seen her.”_

_“Do you think that your… relation to her has any impact on her emotions?” Snow shrugged. She hadn’t considered that. Honestly, she hadn’t given any thought to being the Slayer’s biological mother. “Perhaps you could use that to your advantage,” Rumple suggested._

_“Maybe…” Snow’s lip curled. “But I’m not here to destroy the Slayer. I’m here to destroy Regina.”_

_“Destroying Emma might just be destroying Regina,” Rumple points out._

_Snow nodded. “What do we need to do?”_

_The man giggled, “So glad you asked. You see, we have a plan. I told you that we could both get what we wanted, did I not?” Snow nodded, “Well, it’s time our plans came together. We need Regina to earn her soul and Emma to lose hers, by magic or by death, it doesn’t matter, as long as it comes after their prophecy is fulfilled.”_

_“How does their prophecy get fulfilled?”_

_“Oh, just…” Rumple twiddled his thumbs, a suspicious smirk spreading across his face. “Confession of love should do it. Nothing more.”_

_“What about_ my _soul?” Snow demanded. “Do I need to be worried about that?”_

 _He hummed thoughtfully, “Emma was the reason you lost your soul to begin with, but the connection of a parent to their child is a magic in and of itself. If you kissed your daughter again, your soul would not return, but when and if your soul_ does _return, it will be on her.”_

_Snow growled, “And how can I prevent that?”_

_“Oh, I don’t believe that’s the issue here, now, is it?” Snow glared at him. “I need you to find a way to have Regina’s soul restored. And once it is, I need you to take Emma away from her. Killing her should do the trick,” Rumple said through a creepy grin._

_“Is this all on me?”_

_“Don’t be ridiculous. This is on all of us. You’re just the most crucial element to this. Without you, we could never get what we want. What we need.”_

_“Is that a prophecy too?”_

_His only answer was a giggle, echoing through the underground cave._

_She spent the next few days doing whatever Rumple asked of her._

_It was wildly annoying, being kept so in the dark, especially if she really was a key figure in all this. A few times, she’s been told to go out and catch their meals, laying low in case Emma or Regina were around, but she never ran into them._

_Rumple had her teaching the child vampire, Peter, all about vampires and the Slayer and the Council, given that she knew so much and Peter hadn’t known vampires even existed until he was one._

_She started to really resent all of her new crew. She hadn’t signed on to_ help _people be evil, she had signed on to wreak havoc and ruin lives and actually_ be _evil, but Rumple wasn’t having it._

_“Okay, but if you’re going to keep me out of all the action, I think you at least owe me an explanation,” Snow boldly growled at him one day. “I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines, brought into the action when you need me, only to be pushed out when my presence isn’t convenient for you.”_

_Rumple just stared at her, a pleased and serene smile on his face for a long moment. She stared back, snarling and unwilling to back down. “As you wish,” he finally said, gesturing at a stool inside his cave._

_She took it without breaking eye contact, keeping her glare in case he tried to change his mind. She wasn’t about to let him._

_“So. We need Regina’s soul restored, and we need Emma to lose hers.”_

_“You’ve already told me that.” Rumple glowered at her, waiting for her to shut up and listen. She rolled her eyes. “Go on.”_

_“With Emma’s soul, we will be able to bring back the Master, who will be able to roam the Earth as the most powerful vampire who ever lived, once again.”_

_Snow scoffed. What did she care about this_ Master _roaming the Earth? There was only one thing he did care about. “And Regina? How does she come into this?”_

_Rumple smirked, “She’s a part of Emma’s prophecy.”_

_“You’re being fucking cryptic,” Snow growled. “Emma’s part of_ a lot _of prophecies, apparently. I don’t have time for your games, Rumple.”_

_“You’re the one who asked,” he pointed out. Snow huffed. “You need to be patient. The Master cannot rise without Emma, we’re quite sure of it.”_

_“If you’re so sure, why don’t you let me in the loop on some of these_ prophecies _,” Snow said, spitting the last word from her lips like a taste of bad blood._

_When he giggled at her, and turned away, she scowled and left. She’d find out on her own._

_And she did. Kind of._

_After a full day of looking through Rumple’s books, she found out that Peter was the Master’s “great warrior” called the Anointed. He was the one who had to do with Emma’s death, “leading her to hell” but whether that meant literally or figuratively, she wasn’t sure. She couldn’t figure out the Master’s identity, but it didn’t bother her. The answer was clear. It was Rumple._

_Peter was always with Rumple, and if he wasn’t, he was doing something important_ for _him. Rumple had also told her that the Master’s rising involved him being able to roam the earth freely, something that he himself seemed incapable of, so that was clear. He had other vampires doing his biddings, and it was likely that Peter would be the one leading Emma down here to her death or wherever her soul would be torn out._

 _She wasn’t sure where Regina came into things other than being heartbroken if and when her soul could be restored. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, and it only got worse the next night when she continued to look through books for more information on these_ prophecies _. There were so many, and she wasn’t_ sure _but she thought a lot of them could be about Regina or Emma, but it was laughable. So many of these things couldn’t come to light, not with them, not like that._

 _So she dismissed most of them, until one that stopped her in her tracks and made her cold blood boil. It read, “_ A young girl, purer than snow, will be called as the Slayer. Her light will save her soul, but someone will tear it from her and she will set the plan in motion. The Master will rise again.”

 _Snow read it several times over, trying to figure out exactly what it meant._ Purer than snow _sounded too intentional. Her name was Snow, she had been called as the Slayer, her purity had prevented her from losing her soul at her sire, and her soul was torn from her by the innocence of True Love her former self felt for Emma. Was this a prophecy that had already come to pass? How much do prophecies care about capitalization, anyways?_

 _But the last part._ She will set the plan in motion _. What was that about? It gave her a sinking feeling. Rumple had said that Emma was key in the rising of the Master, but the prophecy couldn’t be about Emma. Yes, Emma was supposed to lose her soul, but she was also supposed to die._

_In the end, she could only conclude that Rumple was lying to her, or not telling her the whole story. He may be evil and he may be powerful, but he can’t be trusted._

_She decided not to question him about it. She planned to keep on with what she was doing there with him until she came up with a plan of her own, something that had nothing to do with prophecies or Rumple “the Master” and his child vampire helper and everything to do with Regina’s suffering._

_“Snow,” Killian interrupted her scheming to send her to Rumple, and she went, if only to avoid looking suspicious._

_He was waiting for her where he usually was, grinning his creepy grin, like he had everyone wrapped around his finger, and Snow fought back a scowl. “What?”_

_“I know you don’t want to work with me...” he started, and Snow already didn’t want to hear it. She would leave tonight, abandon Rumple here to work through his own mess. It wasn’t as though he had no one helping him. He had a whole team. “But we made a deal. There will be repercussions if you break it.” Almost as if he could read her mind, he added, “You can leave, but you still have to hold up your end of the bargain.”_

_“And what was that?” Snow asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. She had only promised to do what he said. They didn’t have halves, and their deal had remained vague, just like everything the vampire said._

_“Regina. You have to make sure she earns her soul.”_

_And fine. She could do that without Rumple, so she left, not bothering to ask about repercussions. She left everything and everyone behind, and yes, it was selfish of her, but she only wanted to make up for all her lost time, burdened by a soul, as well as the assurance that Regina would suffer, and Emma wouldn’t get in her way._

_So she found a place to hide out for the night and plan, far enough away from all the places Emma and her_ people _would be looking for her. She would need to go out of her way for what she needed, but she had the time._

_But first she needed to deliver a message._

_The message was important because it would psych Regina out, throw her off her game. She knew that the vampire had a history with Rumple, and once she found out she was involved, she would realize that this whole thing was bigger than just_ saving poor old Snow.

_If Regina reacted how she thought she would, the vampire would pull back from Emma, wanting to keep her out of danger, as well as try to handle it on her own, an act of self sacrifice, which is the kind of thing that leads to earning a soul or a confession of love. Potentially both._

_Then Snow’s part of the bargain would be complete, and she could do what she wanted to cause Regina and her souled self all the pain she deserved._

_So on Sunday night, Snow tracked down Ruby. The werewolf would deliver her message the next morning when she staggered into August’s kitchen looking like hell, and Snow made sure to make it good._

_She anticipated that the werewolf would be taking advantage of her heightened senses during the full moon and hunting the vampire, so Snow waited in Regina’s crypt, thinking that was a predictable location, and Snow was proved right when Ruby finally approached the area, hesitant, sensing that something was off._

_“You know,” Snow taunted. “I’ve never been in a fight with a werewolf before.”_

_Ruby spun around, crouching down on her front paws, immediately on guard, growling as she lunged forward, hardly giving Snow time to react before starting the attack. But Snow’s reflexes were quick, and she had the werewolf falling to the ground before her teeth could sink into the vampire’s arm._

_“Nice try,” Snow smirked, watching as Ruby climbed back to her feet, unphased. “You’re quick, I’ll give you that, but I never expected you to be so weak.” Ruby lunges at her again, prepared for Snow’s defense, and her front paws knock hard into Snow’s shoulders, and she staggered backwards but caught herself. She straightened up before bringing her foot hard into the side of the werewolf’s head, grinning when she heard Ruby whimper on her way to the ground._

_She crouched before Ruby could stand, a knee pinned against her ribcage, and threw punches with one hand, her other gripping the hair on the werewolf in different places just to hold her still. Eventually Ruby wiggled out from beneath her and knocked the vampire to her back._

_Snow retaliated by kicking the werewolf off of her, sending her flying into the wall of a crypt with a satisfying crack. She didn’t move for a moment, and Snow slunk over there, grabbed Ruby by the scruff of her neck, and yanked her up._

_“Did Regina ask you to kill me?” In response, Ruby just growled and Snow punched her hard in the face. “I need you to talk to me.” Ruby growled again in defiance, and Snow threw her backwards into the crypt. When her werewolf body slumped to the ground, Snow pressed her boot to Ruby’s neck, same as she had done to Emma several nights ago. “Change or I’ll snap your neck.”_

_She counted to ten in her head before counting down again, out loud. Ruby shifted when she’d gotten down to three, and Snow’s breath caught in her throat when she did, all her damage visible, painting a canvas of purple and red across her body. She coughed hard, and Snow moved her boot. “Regina doesn’t want you dead,” Ruby rasped. “She promised, Emma.”_

_Snow hummed. “Not good enough.” She pulled up Ruby in her human form same as she had her werewolf self to stand her up on her feet only to throw a punch hard enough to send her back into the crypt. She caught her before she could fall to her feet, holding her by the throat. Ruby gasped beneath her grip._

_“What do you want, Snow?”_

_The vampire snarled, throwing Ruby behind her so that her body crashed into a headstone. She waited for Ruby to get up, but she didn’t. She made a few more hits just because she still could, and just before she thought Ruby was going to pass out, she said, “Tell Regina I have a message for her.”_

_Ruby blinked up at her, eyes going in and out of focus, and Snow lowered her body to Ruby’s, her lips just at Ruby’s ear. “The message is_ Rumple _,” she whispered before standing and sauntering back into Regina’s crypt._

_She left just before the sun was set to come up, and Ruby had managed to leave the graveyard._

_She went to a new hideout next time, one that was a good enough distance from everything, but also had easy connections to the underground tunnels to make it easier to spy later that day. She planned to get a full rest of sleep before waking up to sneak out and see what Regina was doing sometime before Emma returned from school, but she was woken up by a stabbing pain in her chest only a couple of hours after she had fallen asleep. The closest thing she had felt to that kind of pain was when she lost her soul._

_For a moment, she panicked. But it was impossible. No one was going to magically implant her soul back within her. That wasn’t something that seemed possible, and even if it was, she doubted it would be simple._

_So she dismissed it and went back to sleep._

_The next day, Snow was disappointed to find out that Regina wasn’t_ handling _anything. She was at Emma’s house, hiding out in Emma’s pajamas, and Snow was_ frustrated _. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. But it was fine, because it wasn’t over. She watched from her position under the porch across the street as Regina snuck out from the house, darting through the sunlight covered in an oversized coat._

_Snow scoffed. She looked ridiculous._

_She waited until the sun had set enough for her to walk around without looking stupid or having to run, and she made her way to the school, the only place Snow could think Regina would have gone._

_She hadn’t been in here since the night of the dance, since she had a soul, and from the minute she walked in, she already couldn’t wait to be anywhere else. Everything about it’s small reminded her of the emotions she was once burdened with, and she scowled. But when she heard Regina calling out for Emma near the library, her scowl was replaced by a grin._

_She crept towards the library, the voices growing louder with the closing distance. “Emma, please, come back. Talk to me.” Then a long silence. “Emma, I don’t know what to say.”_

_Snow bit back a chuckle._ They’re fighting. They’re not even a couple and they’re _fighting. She wondered what it was about. She wasn’t close enough to catch Emma’s response, if the blonde gave one at all._

_“Emma…” she heard Regina say again, and it was so emotional that Snow almost suspected that Regina had already earned her soul back, but when she listened closer, she heard a shattering pang in Emma’s heart and the usual thumping in Regina’s, only slightly stronger in response to the noise in Emma’s. Snow rolled her eyes. Of course she’s still soulless. It would be too easy for her to just say she loves Emma and make herself even more vulnerable to pain and suffering._

_“Did you hear that?” she heard Emma ask, and the two come into view just as Regina reached out for Emma, moving closer to her, and Snow makes a noise to break them apart and announce her presence._

_“Well, well, well. Look what we have here.”_

_Regina spun around, eyes wide with surprise. It has been a week since she saw her after all. “Snow.”_

_The vampire laughed. “Get my message?” Regina paled at the reminder, and Snow was going to use it to her advantage. She walked towards them, watching as Emma just looked confused and Regina terrified. “I know you don’t know the extent of what it means, but you know enough. It’s only a matter of time.”_

_She stopped right in front of them, chuckling at Emma’s heart rate and their empty hands. They have no weapons, but she has two. Her teeth and a switchblade she’d stolen from Rumple’s lair. She pulled it out, humming as she trailed it along Regina’s jaw line, and smirking when Emma’s breathing momentarily halted. She locked her eyes on Regina’s, prepared to taunt her unapologetically, to drive her to feel, directing her back to soulfulness and pain. “I’m going to show you just how worthless you are.”_

_She traced the blade down Regina’s neck and pressed it into her collarbone, drawing a little blood. Snow watched as the dark red liquid dripped down. “I hope you realize how terrible a vampire you are. Not good enough for a soul, not bad enough to kill me, not good enough to save your little...pet,” she said, side eyeing Emma. “You destroy the ones you love the most, and you always will. It’s like Daniel all over again.”_

_“Shit…” Snow snapped her head to Emma._

_“What? Worried about your girlfriend, or scared because you know she’s either going to kill you or get you killed?” She was sure Emma was going to remain quiet. Maybe mutter a few things to her about_ she’s not my girlfriend _, or_ I won’t let you kill her _, to which Snow already had comebacks for, but instead Emma looked at her with disgust and spit at her. Snow was so shocked that all her snarky retorts went out the window._

_She backhanded the girl in front of her, “Bitch!” and she watched her stagger backwards. She was ready to advance on her, to yell or hit her again, but then Emma’s eyes locked on something behind Snow, and she stopped in her place, eyes full of panic._

_Then the vampire’s senses kicked in._ David. _She smelled him before she saw him, his scent so strong that she was surprised she’d missed it before, and then she heard his voice, so soft that it made her want to scream. “Snow.” He thought he could save her, and he would go down trying. She almost didn’t turn around, not interested in seeing the man she once claimed to love, the man she had a daughter with. She turned anyway, and when she did, her heart thrummed in her chest and she felt like the old Snow again, the version of her with a soul, but it was gone in seconds._

 _She scoffed, shaking her head as a wave of nausea passed over her. “David. Looks like you’ve gotten old. Good thing I’ve lost my soul so I don’t have to worry about doing_ that _again.” She backed him into the wall, no longer feeling anything. He was unarmed as well, and the worst thing he could do would be to kiss her. Not that it would work. She didn’t love him. But that gave her an idea. “So, why are you here? Oh, no wait, let me guess. Regina helped Emma find you and bring you back so you could kiss me and restore my soul?”_

_She turned to Emma with a malicious grin. “Sorry, sweetie, you’re out of luck.” She turned back to her former lover and crashed their lips together. She threw him to the ground just when he reacted to the kiss, kissing her back. She could almost feel the hope as his lips moved against hers. “Disgusting.”_

_She heard Emma’s heart drop and she turned back to her with mock pity on her face and in her voice. “Aw, sorry your daddy couldn’t save the day. And as for you…” She took a hold of Emma by the shoulders, pressing a rough kiss to her forehead, clearing the air of all hope. The only one getting their soul restored today would be Regina. “That won’t work either. I loved you enough once for you to make me who I really am, soulless, but no one could ever love you enough to earn their soul.” She heard the pang in Emma’s heart again, confirming that she hit the nerve she was aiming for._

_She took a glance at Regina, laughing when she saw how crestfallen she looked, like she really believed Snow were telling the truth. The vampire walked back to David, hovering over him. He blinked up at her, the hope faint but still in his eyes. “We’re going to save you, Snow,” he muttered._

_“Oh yeah? How? I don’t love anyone. The only way to restore a soul is by true love, and I obviously don’t have that.”_

_David opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but he shut it and looked away. Snow quirked an eyebrow. “You know something.” He shook his head a little, but Regina knew he was lying. “Tell me what you know,” she hissed down at him._

_She heard Regina muttering to Emma across the hall, but she dismissed it, eager to know what David was keeping from her. He didn’t answer, and she nudged him hard with her boot. “Don’t make me pull the switchblade back out, old man. What aren’t you telling me?”_

_“_ You _don’t need true love. Emma does,” he muttered, and Snow picked him up by the neck, lifting him from the ground. She was about to threaten him, demand him to open up and elaborate on what_ that _meant and if it meant what she thought it did, but before she could, she was being thrown backwards by magic, crashing into a set of lockers._

_She was shocked speechless for a moment. She looked at Emma and Regina, Regina’s hands on Emma’s cheeks, their faces close together, and it was obvious that their love, their True Love’s Kiss, or whatever had just happened, had some kind of effect on Snow. That must have been what David meant, and that would explain what happened earlier when she was woken up by a shooting pain. She stared at them, shocked and trying to cover it with intimidation._

_Finally she manages to growl a menacing, “Don’t think this is over. You know where to find me, and I expect you to. Tonight.”_

_She heard nothing behind her as she ran from the door. She needed a new plan._

_She wasted no time in going to Rumple, wishing she knew the more direct way to the lair, but it didn’t matter so long as she got there. She swung the doors open and charged into his stupid cage._

_“I need a weapon.”_

_Rumple turned to her, an amused look on his face. “Oh, it’s nice to see you again.”_

_“I don’t have time for this. I have somewhere I need to be.”_

_“Oh?”_

_Snow groaned. She wanted to smack that stupid smile off his face. She sat on his spare stool with a huff. “David’s back. David’s my ex, and he’s Em--”_

_“I know how David is,” Rumple cut her off, suddenly tense._

_“Yeah, so, he’s back and he told me that_ I _don’t need true love, Emma does. Regina and Emma… did something, and it threw me backwards. I woke up this morning with a sharp pain that felt like when I lost my soul. I need to get Regina’s soul restored without getting mine back.”_

_“I see.”_

_“What can you tell me?” Snow demanded._

_Rumple paused, as if considering, and he didn’t talk until Snow gave him an impatient look. “Just have them confess their love and kill Emma before they can kiss,” he offered as he turned his attention away from her._

_“That’ll work?”_

_“Sure.”_

_Snow rolled her eyes. “I need a weapon,” she said again._

_“I believe Regina has already supplied you with one.” He flashed her a vampire smile as an indication.” She crossed her arms and glared at him, awaiting a real answer. He sighed. “Alright, I have a weapon for you. Should something go wrong, you can still turn it around.”_

_“Wrong?”_

_“Say, if you injure Regina instead.” Snow nodded. Watching as Rumple retrieves the weapon from a disguised cabinet in the cave wall. “They’re arrows, imbued with poison. They will cause a relatively slow death. If one was to puncture your heart or mine, we wouldn’t turn to dust. We would just die. But it would be painful. The only catch is that you have to hit your target right in the heart. Otherwise, nothing will work. How good a shot are you?”_

_Snow took the weapon from him with a scoff._

_“I guess we’ll find out.”_

_“I guess we will,” she responded as she disappeared, leaving Rumple in his cave once more. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to deal with him again._

_A quick walk later, she found herself leaning against the wall of Regina’s crypt, waiting. It was only a matter of time before the other vampire showed up to confront her, and when Snow hear a noise to her left, she looked right to it, surprised to see Emma approaching her rather than Regina. At first she was disappointed, but when she imagined the reverse of her expectations happening, she smirked. This could be more fun. “Oh, it’s you. I was expecting your girlf--”_

_“Don’t.”_

_The blonde’s heart was pounding, her hand gripping that stupid stake again. “Why are you here?” Snow sneered, not bothering to hide her irritation._

_Emma stepped forward, eyes filled with passion and hope. “I’m your daughter, and I want to save you. If you wanna fight, we can fight, but… but leave Regina out of it.”_

_The vampire hadn’t expected anything specific, but she had expected Emma to be a little smarter than that. But she wasn’t surprised. Her brain takes after David’s thick skull after all. “Don’t be stupid. You know I can’t do that,” she laughed before diving at Emma, who blocked the attack. Emma’s eyes widened almost comically, and Snow smirked. Clearly Emma had marched over here on a whim with no real plan._

_Like David walking from the library as if his presence could save Snow. Thoughtless._

_Unlike Snow, going to Rumple and demanding proper supplies. Working around the true love and soul dilemma, asking all the right questions and ensuring they get answered._

_Emma was unprepared. Even if she can have the advantage for a while, it won’t last, and if Snow’s suspicions were true, Regina was on her way here, equally as unprepared, just trying to save Emma from her foolish mistakes._

_And speaking of foolish mistakes…_

_Snow kicked Emma backwards just as she opened her mouth to say something else, likely another stupid and unnecessary comment. The Slayer was back on her feet in no time, and she caught Snow off guard by following through on her preparation and knocking the vampire to the ground._

_Emma pinned her down, and for a while Snow didn’t see anything. She just felt Emma’s fist hitting her face over and over, growling about leaving Regina out of it. Snow would have smirked if her face weren’t getting pummelled, and she put up with it for just a moment longer before intentionally going motionless beneath the Slayer._

_Emma only threw a couple more hits before stopping, doing exactly what Snow had wanted. Hesitating. Snow was able to reverse their positions, sending a hard blow to Emma’s jaw before picking the blonde up by the collar of her shirt, bringing them face to face again. “I will see my plan through and I will see to it that both of you suffer. This is going to hurt Regina as much as it hurts you, maybe even more.” She shoved Emma back as she climbed up. “Now get up.”_

_Snow scowled as she watched Emma struggle to get up, disoriented by the vampire’s latest blow, but her moment of impatience was short lived. The moment Emma was back on her feet, Regina was shouting her name through the graveyard. The Slayer’s eyes widened in their typical panic while Snow’s widened in amusement. Oh, this was going to be good._

_“Emma!” Regina called out again, confirming the blonde’s_ worst fears _._

_She stood back to watch as Emma spun around, Snow forgotten, and stormed over to the other vampire. “Regina! What the hell are you doing here? You need to leave! I’ve got this, alright?”_

_Regina reacted strongly, walking the rest of the distance to Emma in a few quick steps, yelling louder than Emma just had. “No, not alright. What were you thinking, Emma? I’m not letting you do this alone.”_

_She gave Emma a frustrated shake of her head before stepping around her, but she only made it a step or two closer to Snow before Emma grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face her. “I was_ thinking _that I could handle it myself.”_

_“And I’m sure you could, but we’re not going to test that.” Regina tried to pull her arm out of Emma’s grasp, but it was no use._

_Snow could hardly see Emma’s eyes, but she could hear it in her voice, hear it pounding in her heart, the determination to stop Regina from getting hurt. “Regina, please.”_

_The vampire watching from afar expected Regina to shake Emma off and come at her, or maybe to have some kind of snappy retort, but after a long silence, Snow finally heard the soft “why?” leaving Regina’s lips._

_She heard the even softer “I don’t want you to get hurt,” leaving Emma’s, followed by another, “I wanted to protect you.” Emma’s hand was no longer gripping Regina’s arm but lingering on it. Regina’s hand traced up Emma’s arm to her face, and she heard the skips in Emma’s heart that sent her own into a panic._

_They_ couldn’t _kiss. She_ wouldn’t _get her soul back. She thought she could just shoot Emma now, triggering the final words of a true love confession, but she didn’t have a clear shot. Besides, she couldn’t skip all the drama, nor did she want to, so she threw her head back and belted out the best maniacal laughter she could manage hoping to catch their attention._

_It worked. “What the fuck… That can’t be good.”_

_“It’s not. For you, anyway. You’re just making this worse on yourselves,” Snow said, letting her laughter fizzle out into a twisted grin._

_“What are you talking about?”_

_And it was so clear to Snow in that moment just what she wanted to do. She wanted to throw them into their confession, listen to the uncontrollable sounds of Emma’s heart as she panicked about how Regina could never love her and how she couldn’t_ believe _Snow just used_ Regina _and_ love _in the same sentence when Regina was_ standing right there _._

_“I know I shouldn’t tell you this, but I just can’t help it. I want you to know what’s going to happen to you. I want you to dread what’s coming, knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Regina, in my plan, you would have started the whole thing. I planned on you getting here first, but it’s working out quite nicely in reverse. Soon, I plan on you finally confessing your love for Emma and in doing so, restore your soul, but then before Emma can tell you the same, I kill her, so she dies in your arms and you have to suffer through the heartbreak that you put me through when I had a soul,” And throughout it all, Emma’s heart struggled to keep up, and she even heard a few abnormally heavy beats from Regina’s. She smirked, unsure if she should share any more, but the words left her mouth in an aggressive sneer before she could stop them. “Emma’s my undoing, so with her dead, I can remain evil, and you… you will be in pain until your eventual death, left with a soul and no one to care for it.”_

_Luckily Emma went after the prior comment, ignoring the undoing one entirely. She made a clearly fake laughing sound, and the grimace on her face wasn’t doing her any favors. “Yeah, jokes on you. She doesn’t love me. She can’t; you said it yourself.”_

_Snow snorted, “Wow, sounds like someone’s upset.”_

_“I’m not upset.”_

_“You_ sound _upset.”_

_“I’m not upset,” Emma huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and her head turned away from the vampire next to her, who likely missed the whole conversation, her forehead wrinkled in thought._

_“Wait.” Snow rolled her eyes. Of course she was going to do this. “How can Emma be your undoing? You proved that true love between you and Emma won’t restore your soul…”_

_“And do you really think I’m going to tell you how my soul can be restored?” Snow interrupted with a scoff. “I don’t think so. I’ve already told you too much already.”_

_“Then why bother saying anything at all? Telling us your plan only means we know how to avoid it. Besides, you’ve counted out the fact that we could have a plan of our own. We’re just as capable of putting up a fight as you are, and just because you want this to go one way, doesn’t mean that it will.” Regina’s voice raised with each statement, really driving down her point. And it was true. Nothing was set to go one way, not even prophecies, but Snow knew what she was doing. Regina was just jealous that they_ didn’t _have a plan and that Snow was going to win. By the time Regina was through yelling at her, Snow was at her wits end._

_“Nobody asked you!” she screamed. “Besides, you clearly don’t have a plan, Regina. Did you even bring a weapon? And Emma, all you have is that stake, and we both know you aren’t going to kill me.”_

_“Yeah, well--”_

_“Emma, just give it up. You’re standing there all helpless and sad and pathetic, carrying around that stake like a security blanket. Even if your Slayer strength is enough to fight me, it’s not enough to win, especially when I have this,” she chuckled, gesturing to the bow and arrows slung across her back._

_“Why…?”_

_“You’ll see,” Snow interrupted before returning to her stance, impatient with the conversation falling flat like it did, as well as the action. But she would change that. “So are we going to do this or are you just going to stand around and mope about how you think Regina doesn’t love you?”_

_Emma let out a pathetic sigh before starting again with the denial, (“She doesn’t--”) and Snow smacks her hard against the face, sending the Sayer falling to the ground. Snow knew what Regina was going to do before the vampire did, and she tackled the vampire as soon as she turned to help Emma. She knocked Regina hard in the throat, and the next thing Snow knew, Emma had her flipped on her back, throwing punch after punch, eyes burning. “I told you to leave her out of it!”_

_Snow took advantage of a break in Emma’s punches to snort, catching her attention. “And I told you I couldn’t do that,” she snarled as she launched Emma off of her and in the air. She knocked into a headstone several meters away, and when Emma didn’t move and the smell of blood increased, Snow smirked, waiting for the inevitable._

_Regina crouched next to Emma, assessing the damage, and Snow was pleased to see that the vampire’s hand was covered in Emma’s blood. She couldn’t hear their conversation, but it looked like the kind of disgusting mush that could lead to a confession of love so she prepared her weapon._

_For a horrified moment, Snow stood there watching them, realizing that she might not be able to tell the moment Regina has her soul back. Would it be painful? Would Regina cry out or gasp or give some kind of indication? The way the two of them were now, she’s think Regina already had a soul. She inched closer, trying to hear what they were saying in case it would tell her, but as she got within range, Emma was taking Regina’s hand, pressing her lips against the vampire’s knuckles, and Snow watched it happen before the pain hit her._

_She cried out. Her chest felt like it was on fire, and she tried to cover up her cry of pain as best she could, “Come on!” she yelled to them as she straightened up, trying not to act like their small gesture had affected her in any negative way._

_Regina blinked at her in alarm and stood, helping Emma up next to her. The Slayer leaned herself against the headstone she had just fallen into, and Snow was too busy proudly watching Emma teeter on her feet, unable to stand on her own just yet to prepare for the other vampire running at her, and it wasn’t until she felt a fist to her jaw that she reacted, returning the attack._

_Snow retaliated, but then Regina followed suit, each of them were able to block most of the other’s hits with a few exceptions in between where one of them received a blow to the face or the stomach. Regina knocked hard into the side of Snow’s head, and she stepped back slightly, thinking she had done adequate damage to do so, but she hadn’t and Snow was_ fine _. More than fine, even. She took advantage of Regina’s pause and kicked the vampire backwards._

_When Regina landed at Emma’s feet and struggled to get up, the damage Snow had inflicted became more evident. The blonde was checking on the vampire, urging her to stop fighting, and the look in her eyes was serious enough for Snow to be left on edge once again._

_She stepped closer in time to hear Regina say, “Emma, no. Don’t. We’ll talk after, okay?” as she lifted up, using Emma for support. She turned to Snow, who rolled her eyes. They should talk_ now _, confess their love_ now. _Snow had a plan to enact, and she was growing impatient._

_“I’ll go,” Emma boldly said. “I don’t want anything worse happening to you, okay?” The Slayer started to limp towards Snow, Regina not much farther behind. Snow was over this. One of them being near death should certainly elicit the confession necessary to restore Regina’s soul, and then shortly after the near death, there would be actual death._

_Snow’s brain moved a thousand miles a minute, suddenly full of questions she hadn’t thought to ask._ How long does the poison’s effect take? If she’s supposed to kill Emma _before_ they kiss, but the poison isn’t effective immediately, what’s the point of the poison? If Regina always hears Emma’s heart, she _knows_ how the blonde feels. Is that really any different than a verbal confession? _But she doesn’t have the time to worry about it._

_She armed herself with the bow, pulling out an arrow and pointing it right at Emma. “For fuck’s sake! I’m going to have to make this happen another way then,” she groaned, wasting no time in firing the weapon to Emma._

_It all happened so fast._

_She watched with bated breath as the arrow flew towards her daughter’s chest, set to hit her square in the heart, just as Rumple had said, but before it could hit her, Regina shoved her way in front of Emma, eyes frantic as she cut between the arrow and the Slayer right in time for it to sink into her chest instead. The vampire fell immediately._

_The sound of Regina hitting the ground was followed by a long silence, and Snow couldn’t decide if this turn of events was better or worse. Regina still didn’t have her soul, so it wasn’t_ great _, maybe not even_ good _, but she was suffering, and Emma still hadn’t realized._

 _Finally, the blonde opened her eyes, and she looked at Snow quizzically before following her gaze down to Regina slumped at her feet. “Regina?” Emma said with a panic before she really took in the damage. Snow listened as Emma’s heart rate went from_ really fast _to_ even faster _as she yelled out for Regina again, crouching on the ground next to her and tugging her body into her lap, crying and muttering over her._

_Regina was barely responsive, her most drastic action being the pull of the arrow from her chest, but otherwise, she just looked pained and sad, unable to console the Slayer crying over her. Emma seemed to realize the phenomena about the arrow lodged in Regina’s still solid form and muttered, “How are you not dead?” first to herself, and then repeating the same question, demanding an answer from Snow, “How is she not dead?”_

_“Oh, she will be. That’s not just any arrow. It’s poisoned,” and as she began her explanation, she realized that she couldn’t tell them exactly how she came about the weapon or such a poison. She may be finished with Rumple, but she didn’t want them in on it, not when one of them is dying in the arms of the other, so she decided to take credit. Sneak her way around the truth in a way that would give her the advantage as well as cause more hurt._

_“I almost didn’t take the precaution, but it occurred to me that things might not go as planned,” Snow continued with a chuckle. “Clearly, I was right in considering that possibility, so Regina, I suggest you apologize for earlier.” Regina attempted to scoff. “Anyway,” Snow sighed, “In case Regina was the one I shot, I didn’t think it would be any good to have her turn to dust in your hands. I needed to trigger deep emotion. I needed one of you to watch the other die. So I imbued the arrows with a poison that would prevent her from becoming dust and spread through her body, killing her slowly. It would have killed you slowly too of course.”_

_Emma’s face fell even lower, her heart thumped slower (it might have matched the pace of Regina’s if she hadn’t been dying), and it was like her own soul was being dimmed by her heartache at the realization that what was happening was unavoidable. “She’s going to die?”_

_“You both will,” Snow smirked, seeing her plan fall together so perfectly. She’d rather Regina live longer and endure a long life of pain, but she could settle for a slow death, especially if her final moments are filled with her soul and the knowledge that she was going to be losing it all before she actually does._

_As soon as Regina’s soul was restored, she would give them one moment. Just_ one _, and then she was going to kill Emma in cold blood, forget the poison, she needed Emma’s death sooner, rather than later._

_She snuck closer to the pair on the ground, watching as Emma watched Regina die, their words bordering on the cusp of that confession she needed to hear. Just before Snow thought it was going to come, Emma had her lips on Regina’s and the vampire’s vision went out, everything swirling to a warmth inside her._

_The last thing she heard before she felt the past ten days forcefully slipping from her brain was a souled and healed Regina, “I love you too.”_

_Her head spun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> evil snow is such a silly dumbass, and i love her. hope you did too.
> 
> next week will be my favorite chapter so far :) so look forward to that.
> 
> thnks for your support and kudos and comments!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is my FAVORITE. omg I hope you like it.

Snow is passed out for hours, and Regina and David don’t leave her side once. David spends most of the time on the couch with her head resting in his lap, running his fingers through her hair, and Regina sits on the ground, gripping the other vampire’s hand, looking at her, worried beyond belief. 

She’s more still than anything, occasionally twitching or whimpering, muttering indiscernible words, but occasionally, she screams, loud and pained. It startles Regina every time, and she grips Snow’s hand with the same force the vampire grips hers, as if something in her mind is trying to tear her away.

All she can think is that the potion was a trap. 

David keeps telling her to have faith. That maybe she really will have her memories when she wakes up, but Regina won’t let herself believe it until she does.

When her eyes finally open, Regina’s head is resting against Snow’s stomach, tired and uncomfortable and concerned, and she’s drifting off to sleep, same as David when she feels the vampire shift underneath her. “Regina?” Snow’s voice is thick and she has to clear her throat with a heavy cough, but Regina’s never been more happy to hear her.

“Snow!” Her sleepiness disappears, and clearly David’s does as well. He jerks awake, startling Snow, but they find themselves sharing a loving smile, David’s a little more apologetic.

“We were so worried,” he says, brushing through Snow’s short hair.

Regina teeters on the verge of saying something equally as sentimental, but she stops herself, deciding instead to say, “I told you not to drink that potion.”

Snow’s eyes darken for a moment, glazed over in a nervous and fearful remembrance, and she shudders. “I got my memories back, so you might want to rethink that statement.”

“What?” Regina asks, eyes wide. “Are you sure they’re right? Rumple isn’t just trying to trick you with false memories?”

Snow barks out a single laugh, remembering her interactions with the man, her thoughts and feelings regarding him, and she reassures Regina with a tight smile, “No, those were definitely mine alright.”

Regina stiffens, “I still don’t trust it.”

Brushing past her comment, David asks, “Can you tell us what happened? Did you get  _ all _ your memories or just some? Do you think the potion will have any other effects?” When he notices the look Regina’s giving him, he backs off a little. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

“It’s okay…” Snow starts, her brows furrowed as she thinks through everything. “Um, maybe I should wait until everyone else is here.”

“I guess they should be waking up soon…” David mutters. “What time is it?”

“It’s seven in the morning. No one’s waking up anytime soon.”

“I was out for that long? Did either of you get any sleep?” They both blink at her, afraid to admit that they hadn’t. Snow  _ mommed out _ on them anyways. “You need to get sleep. We have a while. It’s daytime, and in the meantime, I’ll just do research with fresh eyes… new memories and all. We’ll reconvene after everyone is rested.” David opened his mouth to argue, but Snow gave him a pointed look. “Yes, you too.  _ Especially _ you. Cute little human,” she added with a ruffle of his hair.

David tries to stay with Snow, but the closest he gets to winning is being able to sleep on the couch. He accepts Snow’s offer with a triumphant grin, but Regina doesn’t remind him that it’s probably because Neal and August are passed out on their bed upstairs. The vampire rolls her eyes before she makes her way upstairs and promptly passes out next to Ruby in Emma’s room.

Hopefully everything could get sorted when she wakes up.

When she finally does, Ruby isn’t there anymore, but she can tell that it’s still bright outside through the curtains. With a groan, she rolls over to see Emma’s alarm clock that tells her she’s slept a full eight hours. It certainly feels like more, and the vampire trudges down the stairs where August passes her a mug of coffee. 

“I know how you are when you wake up. Snow wanted me to have a mug of blood ready for you instead, but I said ‘ _ yeeeaahh no, she’s gonna need this more. _ ’” Regina shoots him a glare. “Don’t worry, there’s still blood for you too.”

“Good,” Regina grumbles, taking a look around the kitchen. “Where is everyone?”

“Oh, David’s still asleep. He’s passed out in Snow’s lap, and she’s doing research. Oh my god, Regina, she was drinking her blood and some of it dripped on his face; it was so disgusting…” he trails off when he notices Regina’s next glare. “I mean-- ah… the blood wasn’t disgusting, but her licking it off his face was?”

The vampire made a fake gagging noise. “Please never talk about that or anything like it ever again.”

“She didn’t really do that…”

“Doesn’t make it better,” Regina quips.

“August!” Neal runs in from the living room. “Pour David a cup of coffee. The dead has risen.”

August snorts. “Pretty sure that already happened…” he says gesturing at Regina who squints at him. Clearly her glares have no real effect on the guy. He shrugs. “I mean… it’s true.”

“Whatever,” Regina says, bypassing August and Neal to go into the living room. 

David looks up at her with eyes wide with anticipation and sleep, “Is that my coffee?”

“No,” Regina says, taking a sip as she sits in an armchair across the room.

“It should be. I need the coffee more cause I’m older.”

The vampire scoffs. “Hardly.”

“Your body is frozen in time. You’ll never know what life is like inside the body of a middle aged ma-- person.” Regina fights back a laugh, and he’s about to start up again when August and Neal enter with his coffee. David immediately backs down. “Thanks guys.”

“Sooo…” Ruby starts. “I’m really curious to hear about what happened, and to make a new plan. We have new insights right? We have to. I mean, your ‘message’ was  _ Rumple  _ after all.” Snow winces at the reference.

“Right. Should I just start where I left off then?”

“Please.” 

Regina’s not sure she’s ready for this, but she listens anyway, looking for anything that could save Emma.

By the end of Snow’s recap, everyone is either frustrated by Rumple’s vagueness in general or frustrated by Evil Snow’s lack of interest in anything that matters (Regina being the only one actually upset by the latter).

“All you cared about was hurting me?”

“Regina, I said I was sorry…”

Regina rolled her eyes. “I’m not  _ mad _ at you, it’s just that… how could you let all this stuff just pass you by like that? How were you so casual about it? Do souls have any impact on intelligence, because--”

“Hey!”

David clears his throat. “Okay so we don’t really have any new  _ conclusive _ information, but we do know for sure that Rumple is in charge. That helps a lot. And he talked to you about the Master?” the man asks for confirmation.

Snow sighs, “Yes, but I thought  _ he _ was the Master. But we know from that book that he’s the right hand man. Then there’s the child vampire… the Anointed. Maybe we know who that is now…  _ Peter _ , but it doesn’t help us when we don’t know who the Master is.”

“Do we still think he could be my father? Maybe  _ the rising _ of the master is about raising him from the dead. I don’t know if my father is actually dead though. Like I said, I’ve never met him. I don’t even know what he looks like.”

“Do you know his name?”

Regina sucks in a sharp breath, saying it for the first time in her entire life. “Hades.”

“Is he in any of these books?”

Regina shakes her head. “Not that I’ve found. Which is another reason why I think it could be him. He was a pureblood vampire. My mother told me he was one of the more well known vampires. If that was true, he’d be in these books. Unless he went by another name…”

“The Master,” August mutters.

“Exactly.”

“Well is there any way to find out? Now that we know I don’t have the answers lost in my mind somewhere, we need a way to move forward with this. Nothing is holding us back anymore.”

They all sit, looking at the floor, the open books scattered around, and nobody comes up with anything. After a long silence, August speaks up, “I  _ might _ have an idea. It’s really dangerous though. And complicated. But I think we could do it.”

“Is it a spell?” Neal asks. Regina winces.  _ Of course it is _ .

“Yes…” August admits with a wary glance at Regina, and she knows what he’s going to say before he says it. “It’s a combination spell. It requires more people than just me.” Regina opens her mouth, prepared to find a way out of using magic, but August starts again, rushing his words out, “But I really think it’ll work. And I’ll be the one casting the spell, so no one else needs to use magic directly. It would just be using magic by proxy.”

“Fine, what’s the plan?” Regina asks with a huff. 

“There’s an ancient enjoining spell. It combines four forces… the spirit, the heart, the mind, and the hand, and it makes the vessel able to possess multiple traits. It makes them powerful in the ways they need. Typically it’s to embody the Slayer, evoking the powers of the original Slayer, the Primeval One, but there’s another version that’s less intense. It might work better because I think after what happened, Snow couldn’t be our vessel. No offense,” he adds.

Snow shrugs, “I mean, it’s true.”

“Yeah… okay, but what do we do with that? We join to fight Rumple? Killian’s gang? What’s the point in one of us possessing everyone’s skills?”

“I think we could be a double agent.”

August’s idea is met with an awed silence. Regina wasn’t expecting to be for this plan, but she undeniably is. This could work. “I’m in,” Regina says, the first to speak up. The rest follow suit, nodding. “So how would it work?”

“You mean who would be who?” August shrugs. “If you guys don’t like this, we could switch it, but I was thinking that I could be the hand, the vessel... since I’m the one casting the spell. Neal could be the spirit, Snow could be the heart, and Regina could be the mind.”

This surprises Regina. “Why me?”

August takes a deep breath, “The alternate version of the spell - the one without the Slayer as the vessel - is kind of weird. If  _ I’m _ the vessel, whoever enjoins as the mind will literally be the mind. In other words, you’ll be the one in control. You’ll be our mind.”

“So… I’ll be in your head,” Regina deadpans.

“Yes and no. We’ll all be enjoined, so it’ll be really complicated. Like I said before, this plan is a little...unique.”

“They’ll all be in your body?” Ruby asks.

“I know it sounds weird, but--”

“Nice,” Ruby laughs. “What about me and David?”

“You’ll be keeping an eye on us. Our bodies, anyway.”

Regina shakes her head, trying to wrap her head around all of this. “I mean, this is really odd and complex. I don’t quite get it, but if it’s the best we’ve got, I guess we could try it.” 

“Yeah, so I’m thinking, we’ll cast the spell, and see how it goes. Then we go out in search of Emma or Killian, and ask to join them. We can make it seem like we don’t have a soul. Snow will be able to help us with that. As a vampire who has recently lost  _ and  _ earned her soul, she’ll be able to mask our souls, making it look like I don’t have one. Regina, as the mind, you’re going to be the one in control of our actions. I’m the vessel, but I’m also casting the spell, so I’ll be preoccupied, keeping us all together.” 

“What about me?” Neal asks.

“You’ll be grounding me, as the spirit,” August smiles.

“What happens when we get in there? What do we do then? I understand the whole  _ being a double agent  _ thing, but what exactly is the plan?” Regina’s met with blank stares from everyone including August. “Okaayy, well, clearly no one knows. Here’s what I think. We need to find out what happened to Emma. Can we access her mind somehow?”

August’s eyes go wide as he flails slightly in excitement. “Regina, that’s a great idea! If we can get close to her while she’s sleeping, we can extract some of her memories. I came across a spell for that when we were looking for a way to restore Snow’s.”

Regina nods, but her anticipation for this surprisingly perfect plan - too perfect - comes to a halt when she realizes, “I’m going to have to cast the memory spell, aren’t I?” 

August sucks in a harsh breath through his teeth. “Yes.”

The vampire sighs, contemplating her options. If it’s for Emma, how bad could it be? She could do it for her girlfriend. No, she  _ will _ do it for her girlfriend. “Show me the spell.”

Everyone looks shocked for a moment, but they don’t second guess her. August rummages through the stack of books until he finds the one he was looking for, pulling it out and showing it to Regina. The spell is simple enough. An easy incantation, and the only thing she needs to do is recite it and think of the time period Emma would have had the thoughts, the night she got kidnapped, and she needs some kind of receptacle for the thoughts.

“A dreamcatcher,” August suggests. “That’s one of the best containers for someone’s memories, and they’re not hard to come by.” Regina nods.

“Okay so  _ when _ are we doing this? As soon as possible?”

“Why not?” August shrugs. “Are you all in?” Everyone nods.

“Let’s do this.”

* * *

 

An hour later, August has procured an intricate set up of strategically placed candles and tarot cards. They’re in the living room with enough air mattresses for the four of them. “The version of the spell we’re doing is long lasting,” August explains. “So it’s fine if the candles go out, or if anyone is moved from the circle. We’ll remain enjoined until I break the spell, or David does. It’s a Latin phrase,” he says, writing it down and handing the paper to David. “If anything happens, you can break it, but just know that when you do, I’ll still be out there. It shouldn’t be too bad because Regina will know my last location, but it could put me in a lot of danger. Only use this as a last resort.

“Now, the spell is cast by evoking the power of Harmonia, the goddess of unity. She stands for love that unites people, and because we’re all coming together to help someone we love, that’s why this spell works for us. Emma is our driving force. I’ll say the incantation, and it’ll be really weird for a minute. You’ll all feel like you’re falling asleep, and it might even feel like a brief out of body experience, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Does anyone have any more questions before I start the incantation?”

“Will we be conscious?” Snow asks. “Or will Regina be the only one?”

August hesitates before answering, “We all will be, I think. The research I’ve done on the spell wasn’t clear, but I think most of us will be casual onlookers. I don’t know how much we’ll be able to communicate with each other.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Regina sighs, bringing her hands down to her legs, glancing to the other three forming the circle with her. 

“Ready?” August looks to them, waiting for everyone to nod, including David and Ruby, before taking Regina and Neal’s hands. When the four of them have joined hands, August takes a deep breath and starts the incantation.  _ "The power of the unity and all who seek it. Harmonia, we invoke thee. Grant us thy domain, strength and solidarity. Accept us and the powers we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit enjoined. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will. By the generous will of the Ancients, the almighty power of the Divine Spirits… Your supplicants humbly beseech thee to behold us, and that which we possess…the moieties of the One, the Avatar…” _

_ “Spiritus... spirit.” _

_ “Animus... heart.” _

_ “Sophus... mind.” _

_ “And Manus... the hand. We enjoin that we may inhabit the vessel, the hand… We implore thee: Admit us; bring us to the vessel! I, the hand, allow them entry.” _

The other three finish their part, chanting the final piece of the incantation, speaking until its completion. “ _ We are heart… We are mind… We are spirit… We are heart… We are mind… We are spirit..."  _ and then for a moment, everything goes dark.

* * *

 

 

**Thought key:**

_ Regina  _

[August] 

{Neal} 

(Snow)

 

When Regina sees anything again, it’s her own body lying on an air mattress across the room. She jumps slightly at the sight. It’s definitely the strangest thing she’s ever seen, and just when she thinks it can’t get any weirder, she hears a chuckle in her head, not so much a  _ thought _ of a chuckle as it is an actual  _ sound _ echoing through her mind. 

She gasps out loud and then does it again when she realizes the sound isn’t even  _ hers.  _ It’s August’s.  _ Oh my god, it really worked. _

She heard the same chuckle again, and glances around to make sure it wasn’t someone doing it outloud. Everyone, including herself is passed out on an air mattress, with the exception of David and Ruby, staring at her with their brows furrowed so tight it almost gives Regina a headache. Or August. Or all of them?  _ Am I the only one in here? _ She tries to think.

The chuckle is back. [No.] 

_ August? _

[Yeah, it’s me. I think the others might be here too, but their connection may not be as strong. Ours are the strongest, because it’s my body, and you’re the mind, so. Yeah.]

_ So can you move, or is that all me? _

[It’s all you.]

“August?” David suddenly asks, louder than August’s voice , and it makes Regina jump again. “Sorry. Or is it Regina?”

Regina clears her throat before answering, “It’s me.” She’s startled again by her voice, which isn’t hers at all, but August’s. She was prepared for the sound of it, but it was still unnerving. Speaking in someone else’s voice was unusual, and the way the words feel leaving her throat.

“Um, yeah, that doesn’t actually clarify anything,” Ruby lets out an almost humorless laugh. “Which  _ me _ are you, exactly?”

“Regina.”

“Ah. Can anyone else talk?” Regina opens her mouth to answer before she realizes she doesn’t know it.

_ Well? _

[I said it was all you…]

_ Right… _ “Um, no, it’s just me. But I can hear August in my head. I don’t know if the others are here though. Their connection isn’t as strong. I mean… they’re connected to us as strong as we are, but…” Regina pauses, listening to August channel the right words for her to properly explain it to them before repeating them outloud. “Okay, so it’s August’s head, literally, and my mind, figuratively, and the other two are in here, but their access to thought is less significant, and that makes it harder for them to communicate.”

“Oh,” David says. “Well, can they hear and see everything you see? Can August?”

[Yes.]

“Yes. August can. I’ll have to let you know about the others, if I ever hear from them.” Regina pauses, wondering if this is such a good idea. How are they supposed to function like a normal person if she’s managing all these people in her head?

(Hey, Regina?) 

“Woah, Snow’s here.”

“Tell her I love her,” David says without missing a beat. Regina rolls her eyes twice, once at David’s cheesy comment and then again at Snow’s even cheesier response. (Oh my god! How sweet! I love him too.)

_ Well that answers that question I guess. _ “She loves you too, and also, she can hear everything as well. It probably has to do with the telepathic connection. My brain is processing what I’m seeing and hearing, and they’re a part of it.” [Exactly!] “August says I’m right,” Regina adds with a cocky shrug.

“So, does that mean they can read your mind? Or can they only hear the thoughts you let them hear?” Ruby asks, making a face somewhere between amusement at all the problems that could cause and secondhand embarrassment for the vampire.

“Oh, well if it was the second one, now you’re going to be thinking more intentionally, even without meaning to. So they’ll probably hear everything if they didn’t before,” David tells her.

“Great. Thanks,” Regina deadpans as she actively starts thinking about everything she never wants any of the three people in her head to imagine, especially not Snow.  _ Oh god _ . She actively forces all thoughts of her relationship with Emma out of her mind, or at least privatise them somehow.  _ I can just compartmentalize, right? _

[Yeah… I’m glad you figured it out as quick as you did.]

(Me too), Snow adds in a small voice. Regina gulps. 

It’s quiet for a long moment before she hears Neal for the first time. {So, what’s the plan? Now that the enjoining spell is actually working. Also, has anyone told Regina that we can communicate one on one?}

[No, but you just did. Yeah, Regina, the three of us, or the two of them, or you and one of us… whichever combination, can communicate individually if need be. We can do that so we won’t constantly be distracting you while you try and handle everything behind the scenes. That being said, you can call us forward if you need us. The communication between us is also like compartmentalizing.] 

Regina nods, and she jumps again when David suddenly asks, “So, what’s the plan?”

She snorts. “Funny, Neal just asked me the same thing. Anyway, I guess we’re gonna go out in search of Killian or Emma. Or Rumple.”

“How strong are you? In case it doesn’t go well. Do you just have August’s strength, or is it combined?”

[Combined.]

“Combined.” David nods, looking relieved. “We’ll be back, hopefully with good news,” Regina says as she stands up. She takes a few steps to adjust herself to the feel of using August’s body. “Um, maybe I should wait a minute,” she says, realizing she’s not adjusting as quickly as she thought she would.  _ This is so weird.  _

[Yeah, it’s probably going to get weirder for you.]

_ What do you mean? _

August chuckles. [You’ll see.]

And she did. 

It wasn’t  _ funny _ when August apologized, remembering how much water he drank just to ensure they wouldn’t get dehydrated, and it definitely wasn’t funny when Regina had to ask him what to do.  _ Sorry, August, I’ve never had a penis before so you can shut the hell up _ . 

It was even less funny when she picked up the mug of blood Snow had gotten for her and took a sip before August could stop her. She started retching before actually vomiting into the kitchen sink. August was so disturbed he didn’t say anything to her for a while, and she was convinced they were all talking about the mistake behind her back.

(Wow, I never thought blood would taste that bad. How weird), Snow commented, surely just to Regina, who just snorted in response wondering what she was supposed to eat. David, who had seen the whole incident and was still pale and reeling from nausea, pointed out some leftovers in the fridge, so she prepared them and ate that instead, surprised at the amount of flavor. She’d gotten so used to real food tasting diluted.

Finally, she feels up for leaving, consulting with everyone in her head first, making sure they were all ready too. Once she has affirmation from all of them, and all their supplies packed into a backpack (Regina had picked Emma’s of course), they were ready to leave. 

“How do we know if something’s wrong?” 

Regina pauses, waiting for August’s answer before she says anything to them. “August says that there’s a paper on the coffee table with an incantation that can temporarily pull one person from the formation long enough to deliver a message, and it works in reverse as well. One person can be briefly expelled. August says it should be Neal because his role is the most fluid.”

“Okay,” David nods. “Well, be safe okay. Should we expect you back anytime soon?”

[We’re going to need a break from the spell, so we’ll definitely be back if we can sneak off. If we have to, we can use a cloaking spell to leave, but we could be gone for a whole day, maybe less. It depends on when Emma sleeps, and when everyone else sleeps. Tell him we’ll try to keep him posted, through Neal.]

“Um… It’s all very dependant on Emma and everyone, but we’ll keep you updated. Or, well, Neal will.” David nods again, and Ruby appears from behind him, pulling the enjoined four into a hug.

“If anything happens to any of you, I’ll kill you, alright? I hope all of you heard that.”

“They did,” Regina chuckles. She smiles at the two of them before glancing at the three bodies behind them, comfortably resting, awaiting their return. “We’ll be back. Stay safe here, okay?”

“Go save our girl,” David says with a watery smile, and Regina returns it, knowing that he’s talking to all of them, her included.

“We will.”

* * *

 

Regina decides that the best place to go first is Underbrooke, even though the rest of them are arguing in her head. August thinks they should go to Regina’s crypt, and Neal seems to agree, but Regina is completely set on going anywhere else. She knows that it’s likely that they’ll run into Emma there, but she’d rather it not be when she’s in August’s body. 

Snow is basically screaming at her, mentally, about how she thinks she can direct Regina to the long secret passageway to Rumple’s lair, but that doesn’t seem smart.  _ Snow, seriously, if we go there, they’ll want to know how we found their supposedly cloaked and secret location. They’ll know something’s up.  _ But the woman doesn’t relent, and when her mind becomes quiet again, she guesses they’ve pulled back to knock some logic into Snow while Regina moves forward with her plan.

They know that Killian spends a fair amount of time at the club, so the chances of running into him are higher than anywhere else. And sure, Killian and his squad have only seen August the one time, but he was dressed like a dad at Emma’s party, and now he’s all leather and gelled hair. They’re bound to notice.

[I heard that…]

Regina laughs.  _ You know it’s true. I’m not saying you didn’t pull it off, but… _

[Okay, fine, maybe I looked  _ a little _ like a dad, but not as much as David did. Plus I don’t make the jokes or do any dad activities. And really I think it was just my shirt tripping you up.]

{I think you looked nice.}

[See?  _ Thank you, _ Neal.]

Regina rolls her eyes as they approach the club.  _ If you could all be quiet, that’d be great. It’s time to concentrate. _ Everything goes quiet, and it feels like it’s just her and her thoughts again, with the exception of the unified power bubbling up inside, a small enough buzz to remind her that it’s there, and she isn’t alone.

She pushes open the doors of the club like she owns the place, strutting in like she knows exactly what she’s doing, and she knows she’s doing it right when a few girls turn to gape. [Wow, Regina, teach me your ways.]

She snorts.  _ Yeah, sure, I can try. _

[You could probably get any girl you wanted, I can’t believe out of all of them, Emma’s it for you], August jokes. If Regina could hit him without hurting herself, she would. Snow gets it.

(When we get back in our bodies, I’m going to smack you.)

[Hey, I was only kidding.]

(Mhmm.)

_ Guys, please shut up _ . Regina takes a look around before she makes her way to the bar, ordering a pepsi because  _ go figure we have to inhabit the body of the youngest one in the group _ , but it doesn’t affect anything. She’s still attracting a lot of attention, and when she spots leather and greasy hair, followed by a double take in their direction, she smirks, walking over to Killian, staring their way with a mix of irritation and caution.

“She’s on my side now,” Killian snarls.

Regina raises her hands up in an “I surrender” motion, getting in character for her best impersonation of August. “Woah, buddy, calm down. I’m not here to fight for Emma.”

The vampire quirks a disbelieving eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Then why are you here?”

“I want to be on your side,” she tells him with a dark smile. Killian blinks with surprise before squinting at August, leaning in with a sniff.

“You’re human,” he notes. “Did you want to become a vampire? What happened to your soul?” Regina almost breathes out a sigh of relief at the confirmation that the soul disguise was working, but she held firm, scoffing.

“I was thinking about it… But only because I wanted my soul gone. But you know, I’ve been practicing magic, and, well, I learned that I could tear my own soul out with a spell. Wasn’t easy, but I did it.”

“You ripped out your own soul?” Killian asks. Regina just offers a smug grin in return. The vampire raises his eyebrows with a scoff. “And do you feel better?”

She grins maliciously, “Much. So what do you say? Can I join the team?”

Killian shrugs. “I don’t see why not. We don’t usually accept humans, but since you’re soulless, we can make an exception. I’ll need to run it by the boss man first though.”

“You mean the Master? Or do you mean Rumple?”

“Ha, you remember that don’t you? The Master isn’t back yet. We’re still working on it. But I guess you’ll hear all about that if Rumple approves you.”

“You think he will?” 

“Dunno,” Killian says, shrugging again. “Ready to find out?”

Killian leads them outside, and as soon as he starts walking, Snow pipes up. (I know where we’re going. This is the same way he showed me before.)

_ Noted.  _ Regina follows behind, doing her best to keep up the part as she walks, getting more accustomed to using August’s body.  _ It’s a good thing I don’t have to act like you, because I think walking like this has become my default in your skin _ .

[What are you trying to say, Regina? Don’t I usually walk with a swagger?] 

Regina smiles internally, successfully fighting down a laugh. When Killian’s voice breaks through the air, Regina actually jumps. “What’s your name again?”

She almost gives her own, but catches herself. “August.”

“August…” he repeats. “Emma’s told me a little bit about you. You’re interested in magic?” Regina wants to groan. She does  _ not _ want to talk about magic, but she hears August telling her, [It’s alright, Regina. Remember, you’re answering as me, not as yourself.]

She takes a deep breath, “Yeah, I am. I’ve been researching a lot… practicing a little.”

“You any good?”

She breathes out a sharp laugh, “Depends on who you ask.” Ignoring August’s semi-offended [hey!], she continues. “I heard Rumple is quite the wizard. Think he can teach me?”

“He has to approve you first,” Killian reminds them. 

“Do you think he will?” Regina asks, directing the question to everyone. The answers all come back varied.

[Maybe.]

{I don’t see why not.}

(He approved  _ me _ if that tells you anything.)

“We’ll see.”

They’re going through an underground tunnel for what Regina thinks has been too long. Clearly he’s trying to keep the location secret. (I told you. Besides, they used a spell on you whenever you stumbled into it the first time, remember?)

_ Not really _ , Regina snarks.

(Okay, well, you knew what I meant…)

“Why all the secrecy? You don’t trust me?” Regina says with a smirk. She feels the other three tense. 

[Regina, you shouldn’t have said it like that. Now we just look suspicious.] And she really thinks August has a point. She casts a wary glance at Killian, expecting him to call her out on it, or rather, call  _ August _ out on it, but instead his face goes soft.

As soft as a soulless kidnapping vampire can go anyway. 

She hears Snow snort.  _ Shut up. Me and him are nothing al-- _

(I know, Regina.)

“It was the same for me when I first joined. It took months until I knew a faster way to the cave, and it’s exact location.”

Regina hums in response, preferring the silence over anything else. She has no interest in anything Killian has to say unless it gives them an idea for Emma’s rescue or a plan to get her soul back.

{Remember, you’re supposed to be a soulless August. You don’t have to be friendly}, Neal reminds her. The vampire tries to give him a mental smile, but she’s not sure that kind of message can really get across so she stops. But she feels a small flutter of warmth, and she thinks it must have worked.

They finally make it to the cave, and Regina recognizes it immediately. She tenses at the thought of last time she was here and tries not to scowl. She feels Snow tensing too, and August sends a wave of comfort through them, trying to ease the situation before it shows in his body.

Regina sneaks a few glances around for Emma as Killian leads them through but doesn’t see her. She can’t decide if that’s good or bad.

She knows they’re approaching Rumple’s space when her brain seems to jerk suddenly as if fidgeting.  _ Snow, you need to calm down. Is there any way you can take a step back? I don’t want this to be too much for you. _

She hears a shaky breath. (I’m sorry.)

[Snow? If you want, just pull away. Focus on things you love, things that unite us. David…  _ Emma _ . It might even help Regina maintain a better stasis. Don’t forget to channel the soullessness alongside it. The juxtaposition makes it more effective.] She feels the woman drift out, but as she feels a strengthening pang in her chest. As weird as it is, she finds it comforting.

Then all of a sudden, they’ve come to a stop, and Regina looks up into the eyes of someone she never thought she’d have to see again. Rumple. He smirks, and for a second she panics, wondering if he’ll be able to see through their disguise, but he quirks a curious brow at Killian. “Who’s this young man?”

“August,” Regina says boldly. “I’ve been practicing magic. I know a lot already, and I have a lot to offer, if you’d be willing to let me join your forces. I may not be a vampire, but my soul is gone.”

“How?”

“I ripped it out.

Rumple giggles in response, giddy and pleased with the answer, and Regina fights the cringe she feels at the sound, focussing on keeping her face level and emotionless. “Of course.  You’re welcome here.” 

Regina nods firmly.  _ That wasn’t so hard… _

The giggle sounds again, bringing Regina’s thoughts to a halt. She can already hear the words before they leave his lips. “With a price…”

“What’s the price?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just… for you to consider vampirism. That’s all.”

“That’s all? Really?” Regina laughs out loud. If that’s the price, Regina can’t imagine any of this going  _ that _ poorly.

[Are you serious, Regina? That sounds like a pretty big fucking deal to me!]

_ Relax, August, I’m not going to let them turn you. He just needs us to consider. _

“We’ve got a deal,” Regina says, holding out a hand to Rumple. He looks at it with disdain before looking up at August’s face and wincing before taking the hand in his, giving it a lackluster shake. His hand is cold and clammy, and the handshake is the epitome of a dead fish handshake.

“I usually seal my deals another way, but for you I’ll make an exception.”

“Thanks…” Regina deadpans. She knows how Rumple makes deals and she does  _ not _ want to know what his lips feel like if his  _ hand _ makes her feel this disgusting. From somewhere inside, Snow shudders, her memory supplying the answer Regina never wanted. She’s quick to change the subject. “So, can I come and go, or do I  _ have _ to stay here?”

“Completely up to you,” Rumple says. “Most stay, but it’s because they don’t have another place to go. Or a place they’re welcome. Seeing as you don’t have to worry about invitations…”

“Yeah, my dad doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way. At least until I’m of age.”

“Ah,” Rumple mouths as he regards them. “We have younger members, but their families are either dead or, well… you know,” he giggles.

Regina stiffens, but makes August’s face hold a smirk, “Emma. Yeah, I know.”

As if on cue, there’s a soft noise behind her, and she turns to meet wide green eyes tinted with confusion. They only become more confused when they look into hers -- August’s.

Emma stumbles for a moment before she finally asks, “August?”

Regina struggles to react appropriately. A souled and in love Regina acting like a soulless and bitter August, face to face with the love of her life. She finally paints August’s face with a sneer. “Hello, Emma.” 

The blonde just blinks at her, and Regina finds herself infuriated by the lack of read she has. She’s usually able to hear her heartbeat, her blood flow, her breathing patterns, but now, in August’s human body, she can’t hear anything.

Emma turns to Rumple, face still bearing confusion. “He ripped out his soul,” Rumple explains with a giggle. “He’s part of the team now. Why don’t you show him around?”

She turns back to them with a blank stare. “Alright.” She starts walking, indicating for them to follow, so Regina does.

Emma doesn’t point anything out, she just walks past things with no explanation as to what they are, and Regina wonders if she ought to ask or just wait, if she should make any attempt at conversation at all. “So…” she starts, unsure, but she doesn’t speak past that.

“So?” Emma responds, sounding more of a question of the word choice than anything, and Regina’s stuck again.

“How do you like it here?”

“Fine.”

Regina wants to scream. Emma’s supposed to be more talkative than this. She tries again. “Rumple told me I didn’t have to stay here all the time. I’m waiting until I’m of age so that Marco doesn’t freak out if I go missing for days.”

“Mhmm,” Emma comments. 

_ For fuck’s sake. _ Another try then. “Do you sleep here?”

Emma stops so suddenly that Regina almost runs into her. She spins on her heel, close enough that Regina can smell her, not her blood but  _ her _ , even with August’s mediocre human nose. Her green eyes are wide with the kind of surprise that is anything but, and the confusion drifts back in. “You know where I sleep,” Emma whispers.

Regina’s heart skips a beat. She can feel it - her own heart skipping, despite being in August’s body. [What did she say?]

{Yeah, I couldn’t hear her say anything either. Are you okay? I feel like you’re slipping…}

She probably is. There’s no guarantee, but she has a feeling that the others couldn’t hear her not because she was  _ whispering _ , but because  _ she wasn’t talking to them. _ Does Emma know it’s her? How could she know? 

“Uh, I don’t know, Emma. It’s not at your house…” Emma just looks, waiting. “Regina’s crypt?” she asks, and the blonde scoffs lightly before turning away. 

“Sometimes. I sleep here sometimes.”

Emma keeps walking and Regina stops, taking a minute to recover from whatever that was, unable to make sense of it. She blocks her thoughts and fears about Emma’s possible recognition from the others, worried they would react badly. Of course they would. They would panic, they would force Regina to leave, their plan would fail, and Regina would return to being Emma-less. She wasn’t interested.

{Regina? You okay?}

_ I’m fine. _

[What did Emma say?]

_ She sleeps here sometimes. _ No one asks her anything else, so she figures they’re either accepting her answer or talking behind her back again, in the back of her mind, anyway. 

“Are you coming?” Emma asks, turning back to them. Regina nods and follows, hoping that this doesn’t get worse.

She doesn’t listen to anything else after that, not that there’s much to listen to. Emma finishes the vague tour wordlessly, and when she does speak, her words are drowned in a yawn. 

“Someone’s tired,” Regina snorts.

“It’s bedtime,” Emma says.

“Oh, they have you nocturnal now?” Regina laughs, but the blonde doesn’t. 

“Sometimes,” she says again. “I’d rather not go out in the sun anyway. What’s the point?”

“Um, I don’t know. Vitamins?” Regina chuckles again.

“I prefer to go out at night.”

“And why is that?” Regina challenges. She knows what she  _ wants  _ the answer to be. She wants Emma to tell her she’s more likely to see Regina at night, but the vampire has to remind herself that the girl in front of her isn’t really Emma. Not really anyway. 

But Emma surprises her.

“Regina…” she says, barely a whisper, and the vampire can’t tell if she’s talking to her or answering the question. Maybe both. But then Emma clears her throat, and looks up at them. “You’ll see. The majority of us can’t leave in the day, so if you want to be included, you’ll learn to make sacrifices.”

She just nods, unable to say anything back.

“I’m going to sleep,” Emma says before stalking off with a purpose in the direction of a part of the cave she never took them to, and Regina just watches her go.

(Regina!) Snow startles her as she jumps back in. (You need to follow her. Don’t be weird about it.)

The vampire rolls her eyes before calling out, “Hey, Emma! Wait up…”

“What?” Emma deadpans over her shoulder without turning around.

“Where, um… where do I sleep?”

The Slayer scoffs, “At your house with Marco? Didn’t you just wake up not too long ago?”

“No…” Regina lies. “And he’s out of town. So I thought it would be good to stay here.” She readjusts the bookbag on her shoulder for emphasis, and Emma squints at it before giving the vampire the same squint. Maybe they should have used August’s bookbag.

[Shit, Regina, you aren’t using Emma’s bookbag are you?] She intentionally doesn’t look back down at it, but her silence is enough of an answer for him. [Oh my god, she’s gonna find out.]

_ No she isn’t,  _ Regina is quick to lie to him for reassurance.  _ Now shut up. _

“I guess you can stay with me. There’s a bunk bed. Sometimes Peter stays in there. He tells me he’s lonely, but I think he’s just watching me.” Emma rolls her eyes, and it’s the most emotion she’s expressed since they got there. 

“Peter?” Regina asks, like she doesn’t know the answer.

“You’ll meet him later,” she says, shutting down the conversation before walking into a room of the cave, gated off with a cage like fence similar to Rumple’s. There’s a metal framed bunk bed in the corner, and all Regina can think is how much this looks like a prison cell. “I’m on the top,” Emma says as she climbs up with a triumphant huff. “Peter never lets me. Fucking brat.”

Regina allows herself to laugh, her own heart fluttering again when she notices that Emma is smiling at her,  _ really smiling _ at her, and she looks away, hoping the others didn’t see it. If they did, they don’t say anything. “Anyway. Night,” Emma mutters.

“You mean morning?” Regina snorts.

Emma doesn’t answer, and Regina climbs into the bed, waiting for her to fall asleep. She wishes she could listen for the blonde’s breathing even out, not just for an indication that their plan can move forward, but because the sound was a comfort to her, and she needs it now more than ever.

While they wait, they take advantage of their downtime to send Neal back to his body for abound ten minutes, updating David and Ruby on the situation. 

The other three nervously wait to bring him back, listening out for any irregularities coming from the bunk above them, but there’s nothing, and when they get Neal back, they start the plan.

[How’d it go?]

{It was good. They were really relieved. Like  _ really _ , and we didn’t have much to talk about. Apparently, back at the house, Regina’s talking in her sleep…}

_ What!? _

{Yeah, nonsensical mumbling and stuff. Nothing they understand. Ruby thinks it’s funny, but David’s pretty worried about it.}

_ I wouldn’t be. _ Regina can only imagine what she’s saying out loud. No doubt it’s about Emma, but no one needs to know that.  _ So anyway, the memory extraction spell. I’m still the one who has to perform it? _

[Yeah, you remember the incantation right?]

_ Yeah… _

[Good.]

They listen out for a moment longer, Regina’s lips twitch when she hears a light snore coming from Emma, and it’s her cue to stand up and turn to the blonde, her face at eye level. She looks so soft, so much like  _ her _ Emma, sleeping on that bed, and she almost reaches out and strokes her face before she remembers that she wouldn’t really be touching Emma. If she does... _ when  _ she does, she wants it to be her fingertips, brushing against her soft porcelain skin.

She swallows hard before pulling the dream catcher out of the bookbag and holding it up between her face and Emma’s. She focuses hard on the night of Emma’s kidnapping, and she feels the other three doing the same. She closes her eyes, and with a deep breath, whispers, “ _ We come in supplication and hope. Bring us the memories we seek _ .”

She watches as the dream catcher starts to glow, trying to ignore the lurching in her chest as the magic flows through her system. She’s grateful to be in August’s body where she can’t feel the full effects of the magic use, but it’s still enough to set her at unease, reminding her of uncomfortable memories from her past. She pushes them aside and replaces them with thoughts of Emma, the thought of saving her and being able to hold her in her arms again.

She looks through the dream catcher at the blonde, her face dimly lit by the luminescence of magic, and she manages a smile, but it breaks as the magic comes to a halt, the spell finished. She whispers a quiet  _ thank you _ to whatever power allowed the memory transaction to take place.

Emma shifts a little in the bed, but otherwise doesn’t seem perturbed. She whimpers a little, and Regina steps back, stuffing the dream catcher, still illuminated by the Slayer’s memories, into the bookbag and slipping quietly from the room and through the still cave. They’re not sure if anyone’s awake, but they don’t want to take any chances. Luckily, they don’t have to, and they make it from the cave and down the tunnel without having to explain themselves to anyone. 

Regina is so eager to return and unveil Emma’s memories that she doesn’t stop before darting out of the crypt and into the open air, but as soon as she does, she second guesses herself. The light is blinding, and her skin feels like it was on fire in the warm temperature. On instinct, she ducks, covering her face as the sun beams down. She’s so afraid of her impending death that she almost doesn’t hear August and Neal telling her to calm down.

[Regina! It’s fine! You’re fine! Remember, you’re in my body not yours.]

The vampire breathes out a sigh of relief, but still keeps her eyes covered as she rises back up to stand. (It’s okay, it scared me too.)

Regina slowly pulls her hands back, and it hurts. She can hardly see a thing and she waits for her eyes to adjust, but nothing happens.  _ I can’t see anything. It’s too bright. _

She hears August snort at her expense. [Check the bag. There’s sunglasses]. She reaches in and it takes a minute of rummaging around before she finds them, but she finally pulls them out, not opening her eyes until they’re on her face. It helps significantly. [I take it you didn’t miss the sun?]

_ I thought I did, but apparently not. I just want to get out of here and get back inside. It’s so hot out here, I don’t know how you stand it. _

The vampire wastes no time, deciding to run home, ignoring August’s comments about how gym was his worst grade, but when she stops, doubled over, sweaty and in pain, she wishes she’d listened. [On the plus side, at least  _ you  _ won’t have to deal with the pain this brings tomorrow], August grumbles.

_ Sorry, _ but she really isn’t.

[I can still hear you.]

Regina rolls her eyes at him and walks the rest of the way back. It’s not until they get to the porch that Snow pipes up. (You know, we could have had David pick us up somewhere.)

She’s brushed off by three bitter people, August being the most bitter, as Regina lets them into the house. They’re greeted immediately by David, who rushes in for a hug that just makes Regina uncomfortable. “How about we split up, and then you and Snow can hug all you want and keep it far,  _ far _ away from me.”

“Oh...yeah, sorry” David mumbles as he lets go. Regina sits on the armchair and waits for August to speak the words of release, and as she hears them, she feels herself drifting from one space to another, slowly becoming herself again. It takes a moment before she can open her eyes, and another before she can sit up, but she knows she’s not the only one struggling. 

She’s up before the others, and she stretches her muscles out, relieved to be back in her own skin. Her own body feels pleasantly cool compared to August’s, and her interior functions all feel normal again. If she has to pee, at least it’ll be the way she’s used to. 

She listens to all the heart beats around her and smiles at the white noise. Aside from the three people talking to her in August’s mind, it was too quiet. She had become so used to the constant thrumming of hearts and the gentle sound of blood flowing that when it was gone, she realized that she never  _ really  _ had silence. The absoluteness of human stillness unnerved her. And to think she once thought the same about the unceasing pumping of blood ringing in her ears.

David is holding Snow on the couch, gently rubbing her back. Her eyes are open, but she isn’t moving around yet. She gives Regina a gentle smile as the vampire moves to sit next to them reaching for Emma’s bookbag. “Where’s Ruby?”

“Oh, she’s making coffee,” David says. “We thought it might help you all recover.”

“Good thinking,” Regina grins back. August makes an approving grunt where he leans back in the armchair. Neal does the same from the air mattress. She smiles at them both as she pulls the dream catcher out, her breath catching at it’s soft glow, remembering the way it reflected off of Emma, her face and her curls. She remembers Emma’s smile at her, like she knew it was Regina. She remembers the kiss they shared in her crypt, and then she thinks of the memories in her hand, and how watching them will be like losing Emma all over again. 

She feels a tear slide down her face, but then Snow’s cold fingers are brushing it away. She meets the other vampire’s eyes. “I’m afraid, Snow.”

“Of what they did to Emma or the possibility that they didn’t do anything at all?”

Regina’s heart nearly shatters. “Of course they did,” she almost growls. How dare Snow suggest such a thing? Although, logically, she knows that it’s something she should consider, outside of how unlikely it is.

“I don’t want to believe it either. But we need to be prepared for the worst.”

Regina nods, but she refuses to give into that. They messed with Emma’s mind, her soul, and they were about to find out how.

August finally moves when Ruby hands him some coffee. The werewolf laughs as he doesn’t sit up, instead choosing to remain slumped over. “Thanks a lot, Regina,” he mumbles.

“Are you sore?” Ruby laughs. “Let me guess, Regina learned about how terrible at phys ed you are today?” She looks at Regina for confirmation, and the vampire snorts. “I guess someone owes you a massage.”

Regina glares at them both. “Like hell I do.”

“It’s okay, August,” Neal says. “I’ve got your back.” A goofy laugh erupts from his lips. “Literally. You know… cause I’ll be massaging your back…” David howls with laughter, but no one else is amused.

“Okay, so are we ready? How does this work?” Ruby asks, gesturing at the dream catcher. “Are you sure you got the right memories? You could have gotten anything, you know. What if you just took Emma’s dream instead?  _ Oh my god! _ What if Emma was having a  _ sex dream _ ?” Snow clears her throat uncomfortably, and Regina is sure neither vampire has blushed so much since their human days.

August’s brow furrows. “You know, clearly Emma has altered memories. I hope we get the real ones. I mean, either way, it should be helpful, but I’d rather know the truth. They’d still be in there right?”

Regina doesn’t have time to worry about the logistics of memories and memory spells. Honestly, she’s sick and tired of memory loss, and she hopes to every higher power in the universe that they never have to deal with that again. “It doesn’t matter,” she says. “Let’s just watch what we have, okay? August has a spell to project the memories. That way we can all see what happened pretty clearly.”

She passes the dream catcher to August, who’s already preparing the spell. He mutters a few Latin words and then suddenly Emma’s birthday party is playing out before their eyes. Everything is from Emma’s perspective, she’s watching everything as if she were Emma, the thoughts and feelings of her girlfriend echoing in her own being. The memory has only just begun, and Regina is already sobbing.

She hopes they’ll find the answers they need.

* * *

 

_ When Emma’s birthday had started, the blonde’s first thought was  _ I bet something’s going to ruin this _. It seemed likely. She’d never had much luck with birthdays, and just because she was reunited with her parents and had accepted her calling as the Slayer and had found her true love, she doubted it would excuse her from her recurring birthday bad luck. _

_ When her party started, and nothing bad had happened, she started to let go of the idea that something was about to suddenly explode in her face, and she was  _ kind of  _ right? She was close anyway. Instead of in her face, there was an explosively loud crash to their right and a bunch of vampires walked in, snarling. Emma groaned internally. She just wanted a day off. _

_ Ideally, if something like this were to happen, Emma would be all for someone taking over for her and dealing with the demons in her place, but when Regina started pushing her back behind her, she immediately became defensive. No  _ way _ was Regina going to fight all these vamps and not let her help. So she tried to push her way back up. “Regina, c’mon, I’m the _ Slayer.”

_ She thought it was going to work. She really did. She and Regina fought side by side  _ all _ the time. Surely this time would be no different, especially given the numbers. There was at least enough vampires to equal their team, and since they had three humans with them, the power dynamic was basically fucked. _

_ But her girlfriend pushed her backwards again, shushing her. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.” It didn’t make sense to Emma, but she crossed her arms with a huff and accepted her fate behind everyone, even Neal! But she did what Regina wanted, because it was  _ Regina _. If anything were to go wrong she was going to be ready to fight, no matter what her girlfriend said. _

_ She heard Regina mutter something, and she pushed her way back up to see what was going on, stunned to see Killian, his face contorted and vampiric. Regina was  _ right. _ His eyes landed on Emma’s and the grin he gave made her nauseous. “Even better to see you…” _

_ “Fuck off,” Emma said stepping around Regina again.  _ Fuck this.  _ She would not let this guy get to her or her girlfriend or her friends. What an asshole.  _

_ He kept his eyes on her, smirking, “I don’t think so actually. I’m here for a reason.” _

_ Regina growls at him. “Leave her out of this.” She shoved Emma back this time, enough to make her stagger. She gaped at Regina even though she couldn’t see her, but Emma knew better than to try again. Maybe she had a point after all. If she was right about Killian being a vampire, who knew what else she was right about.  _

_ So she stepped away, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she moved far enough behind everyone that the sound of her heartbeat was out of range. That way, Regina would know she was actually out of harm’s way rather than trying to fight her way forward to help. _

_ It was hard to listen in, and she missed most of what they were saying, but she didn’t want to move closer and send her girlfriend into another protective panic. She watched Regina and Snow get defensive, and then suddenly the other vampires were circling everyone else, directing them into a cluster. Regina pushed Neal behind her, and Emma was about to walk up to them, (maybe she’s be cornered but at least they wouldn’t be separated) but before she could, a kid stepped in front of her. She blinked down at him in shock that only increased when he looked up at her, all the trademark signs of a vampire. _

_ He stepped closer to her, backing her into a corner as if to say  _ you’re not going anywhere _ , and Emma shuddered, looking back up in time to hear Regina say, “Fuck off or tell us the prophecy.” _

_ Immediately, Emma’s attention was captured.  _ Prophecy? _ She listened closely as Killian recited it, her concern for herself growing more at the names that weren’t really names. The  _ titles _ posing as identities. Especially when she hears her own,  _ the Slayer _. “ _ And there will be a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come the Anointed, the Master's great warrior. And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell.’ As it is written, so shall it be _.” _

_ She glanced down at the kid in front of her, grinning in her direction. There was an unbearable silence in the room, and if Emma had expected anything to happen to her, death or even just  _ impending _ death, she wouldn’t have thought this moment would be the one in which it occurred, but today was clearly full of surprises.  _

_ The kid gripped her hand, and then suddenly another vampire was behind her, a hand pressed so hard against her mouth that her jaw was sore, another hand looping around her waist in a tight grip. _

_ The last thing she heard before she was pulled into the dark alleyway behind Underbrooke was Regina coming to her defense with a harsh growl and a firm promise she didn't even realize she was breaking, “Nothing’s going to happen to Emma. I’ll never let it.” _

_ Her kidnapper was a woman. She could tell by the way she growled in her ear to  _ stop fucking squirming _ as she tugged hard against Emma’s jaw, and for a moment, the blonde was worried the vampire would snap her neck. She stopped moving, letting herself get dragged down the street. She tried to tug her hand out of the kid’s grasp, but he wouldn’t let her. _

_ “Look,” the vampire growled again. “If you don’t cut it out, we’re going to knock you out.” Emma tried to speak against her hand, and eventually the vampire dropped it. “If you scream, I’ll kill you.” _

_ “Who are you?” Emma asked, as quietly as possible, looking from the woman to the kid. “Are you…” Emma recalled the prophecy she had just heard.  _ ...the Anointed... the Slayer will not know him... he will lead her into Hell… _ “Are you the Anointed? Are you going to kill me?” _

_ The kid smirked at her before swinging his fist until it collided with her face. Everything went dark. She was sure she was going to die. _

_ When she woke up, she definitely thought she was in Hell. Literally. The space around her was a giant cave, dark, lit with medieval looking torches. Everyone around her was a vampire, and there was one in particular, giggling down at her, his scale-like skin glistening in the light of the flames. The only thing that gave her hope that she was still alive was the pounding in her head, reminding her of the latest hit she’d taken. _

_ She almost didn’t want to ask, but she did anyway. “Where am I?” The scaly vampire giggled again. “And why do you look like that?” _

_ “Being an ancient and powerful vampire has its perks,” he said with a grin, flashing what he probably thought was an award winning smile, but all Emma could do was hold back a gag when she saw that his teeth were more yellow than his flaky looking, reptilian skin. _

_ “Yeah, I wouldn’t call that a perk.” His smile instantly vanished. She fidgeted against the ropes around her wrists, held behind her back. “So are you gonna tell me where the fuck I am?” Her eyes swept over the room, halting the minute they met Killian’s and then she was screaming at him, all concern for herself gone. “What the hell did you do to Regina? If you hurt her, or my parents, I swear to god, I’ll--” _

_ Another creepy giggle sounded, interrupting Emma. “Wow, quite the entertainer this little Slayer is. I quite like her. Much more than the other ones. Especially that little frilly one. She worked for us briefly, but was too obsessed with personal revenge? What was her name…” he tapped his chin thoughtfully, a shining glint in his eye. “Hail? Rain?” _

_ “Snow,” Emma growled. “She’s my mother, and you’re a fucking idiot.” _

_ He grinned at her. “Actually, the name is Rumple,” he said as he bent into an obnoxious bow. “You could also call me… Mr Carey, your girlfriend knew me by that name for a while when I tutored her… or Gold, a personal favorite of mine. That was the man your father knew. He worked with me for eighteen years and never suspected a thing. I have to say ‘ _ fucking idiot’ _ isn’t my favorite name, but it would be better suited for him, don’t you think?” _

_ “Fuck you.” _

_ He curled his lip. “I miss the days when the Slayers weren’t so whiny and vulgar. If I didn’t need you, I’d just kill you.” _

_ “What do you mean,  _ need me _?” _

_ “Did you hear the prophecy? It’s one of my favorites....” _

_ “Yeah, I got it. The Anointed, who I’m pretty sure is that kid from  _ The Omen _ over there, is going to lead me to Hell, so basically, I’m gonna die. You make no sense, you know that? Because according to you, I’m  _ not  _ going to die, even though the prophecy clearly said--” _

_ “Not  _ that _ prophecy. The other one.” _

_ “Um…” _

_ “I’ll tell you if you would just stop talking for  _ one second _.” Emma snapped her mouth closed so she wouldn’t give the vampire  _ another  _ snarky retort. “It is written, ‘ _ A young girl, purer than snow, will be called as the Slayer. Her light will save her soul, but someone will tear it from her and she will set the plan in motion. The Master will rise again. _ ’” _

_ Emma’s brow furrowed, the thoughts working in her head.  _ Purer than snow _ , that has to be about her mother. Not to mention, she had her soul after sire. The goodness of being a Slayer, the light, that saved her soul until Emma accidentally triggered its disappearance. She’s sure it was about Snow. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s about my mother. Not me. So that means your stupid plan is already in motion. Fucking idiots…” _

_ Rumple grinned at her, not phased by her analysis of the prophecy nor her insults. “Are you sure about that, dearie?” _

_ “Yes…” Emma said, starting to feel less sure. “I‘ve never lost my soul. How could it be about me?” Rumple’s grin remained the same, growing wider the harder Emma’s heart pounded.  _ No. No fucking way _. She had just been panicking to Regina about losing her soul. Regina had reassured her that no one would take it. Why would anyone? What would be the point? “I don’t understand,” Emma said, her voice shaky. _

_ “You wouldn’t,” Rumple said. “This prophecy is famous for it’s double meaning. To allow the master to rise again, we need souls. One option is that we take Snow’s and Regina’s. Their history and rivalry, as well as Regina’s connection to the Master make their souls a match for what we need. Snow fits the prophecy, and given that they’re both vampires who have earned their souls, everything seemed perfect. But then it was brought to my attention that the prophecy could be about  _ you.

_ “You see, you’re a Slayer, not only by right, but by blood, making you  _ literally _ purer than Snow. You see, the prophecy was spoken before it was written. Perhaps  _ snow _ was meant to be a proper noun all along. Not to mention, you’re a product of true love. Your soul would do just as well in place of Snow’s and Regina’s, but it doesn’t have to be” _

_ “What are you saying?” _

_ “I’ll let you go. At a price of course,” he giggled and Emma scowled. She was really starting to hate this guy. “If you let us take the souls of your mother as well as your girlfriend, we’ll let you go.”  _

_ Emma gaped at him. “Do you really think I would let you do that? I just threatened that asshole not even ten minutes ago if I found out he hurt either of them,” she said, gesturing at Killian. _

_ “I knew you would say that, which is why we have a failsafe. You say the word, and I have people ready to snatch them up. If I don’t receive your full cooperation, unless you outright decide to leave, they’re going to suffer.” _

_ “And if I cooperate? If I do whatever you say, how do I know you aren’t still going to hurt them too?” _

_ “I give you my word.” _

_ “That’s not good enough,” Emma growled. “I need a guarantee.” _

_ “You’ll see for yourself after I’ve taken what I need from you.” _

_ Emma paused. “And what do you need? My soul?” _

_ Rumple grinned, exposing his yellow fangs once again. “Precisely.” _

_ It wasn’t a hard decision to make at all. She would sacrifice her soul a million times if it meant saving her mother and Regina.  _ Regina _. God, she would be devastated. Emma’s heart broke at the thought that she wouldn’t see her again, but at least Regina would be able to keep her soul. Maybe she could find a way to be happy.  _

_ The decision wasn’t hard, not just because of the positives, but also because Rumple told Emma two things that she knew would be false. One was that she would see them again, souled and happy, and the second was that she wouldn’t die. Of course she would die. The prophecy about being led to Hell would be fulfilled tonight because Emma knew that if her soul was torn from her body, she would lose her will to live.  _

_ Rumple likely thought that she would turn evil, become like her mother was when she had no soul, but Emma knew, deep within her, that evil or not, she wasn’t willing to continue living if she couldn’t feel. So when her soul inevitably got ripped out, she would be done. Their stupid Master could rise, and Regina could go on without her. _

_ She took a deep breath before looking Rumple right in the eyes. “I’ll do it. You can have my soul.” Rumple giggled again before turning to Killian, muttering something before the other vampire passed him a vial, filled with a swirling black liquid.  _ Magic _. “What is that?” _

_ “You know,” Rumple said, talking with his nose scrunched up and his upper lip curling, “I’m getting really tired of all your questions. If you’d be patient, I’d explain it to you.” He took a few large steps in her direction, uncorking the vial, and Emma stiffened, keeping her mouth shut. “Better.” _

_ Rumple held up the vial to her face for inspection. “This is a potion I managed to concoct that is a physical embodiment of the birthright prophecy. You and Regina together cancel each other out, but both of your parents mixed into a potion makes pure darkness. I took a part of all four of them for an ingredient,” he said with a sneer. “Your mother was the last one I got when she joined me a few months ago.” _

_ Emma blinked, trying to understand. “I’m not sure I’m following. What’s the potion do? If it’s an embodiment of my birthright, how could it affect me or Regina negatively?” _

_ “Again with the questions,” the vampire scowled. “It affects you negatively because you may connect to your parents and your true love, but  _ she _ isn’t a part of the potion. Her parents are. Regardless, it doesn’t matter who  _ you _ are. This potion would affect anyone the same way.” _

_ He paused, waiting for her to ask another question, but she remained silent. What was the point? He giggled before explaining, “This potion is literal darkness. You see, there are plenty of ways to tear out someone’s soul, but this way is more fun. When you drink this, you will be imbued with darkness and your soul will fade out. It’s less harsh, physically, but emotionally, it will be traumatizing. Your heart will be in agony as your light slowly fades until you’re nothing but a dark void.” Emma gulped. “Have you changed your mind yet?” _

_ “No,” Emma said firmly. _

_ “Are you sure? You could save yourself a lot of pain. Just say the word, and you can go. Your choice. Your soul or theirs.” _

_ Emma growled, “Kill me, take my soul, make me drink literal darkness, I don’t care. Just leave them alone.” _

_ “As you wish,” and Emma heard the giggle again before she felt the liquid burning its way down her throat, working its way through her bloodstream and into her brain. Everything became foggy, and Emma held onto the thought that when this was over, she’d be letting go, fading out from the world with her soul. _

_ She felt a sharp tug in her chest, and her heart rate slowed down considerably. The tug became an ache, and all she could think about was Regina, the time they had and the times they  _ could have had _. She wondered if Regina was okay, if she’d be okay when she found Emma’s body, how long it would be until she really was okay after.  _

_ When the ache became sharp again, her mind became clouded by darkness, and for a moment, all she could feel was anger and hatred. Hatred at Rumple for doing this to her, hatred at Killian for threatening Regina, hatred at Regina for not protecting her, for telling her she wouldn’t have to worry, that her soul would be safe. But the thought felt wrong in her head. She replaced it with thoughts of kissing Regina, smiling against her lips, and it made the pain worse.  _

_ The darkness was trying to make her give in, but she wasn’t going to die letting herself be consumed by anger. That wasn’t right.  _

_ The pain had been going on for so long, she couldn’t remember a time when it hadn’t been happening. She tried to remember what she was fighting so hard for, but it kept slipping. She thought of Regina, but the feelings it brought her before had faded. She fought past her own thoughts and tried to listen for some kind of sign. She needed to know how much longer this would last. _

_ “It should have been over by now.” _

_ “I don’t think it’s taking all of it.” _

_ “There’s something in the way.” _

_ It was all she caught before the pain tugged her back. She felt the tears running down her face, and then a hand pulled on her shoulder. “Emma.” It was too quiet, almost distant, but then it came again louder, “Emma!” and she opened her eyes to come face to face with the vampire… Killian? She couldn’t remember. “You need to let go. If you keep fighting it, you’re going to die.” _

Going to die _. Wasn’t that what she wanted? To die? Wasn’t letting go supposed to be what led her to her death? Wasn’t the kid,  _ the Anointed, _ supposed to be here? He was the one that was going to lead her to Hell, wasn’t he? Or was that someone else? And why didn’t they want her to die? They could get her soul even if she died, and that was all they wanted. Unless they wanted her to fight with them.  _

_ She could feel her soul fading, feel her anger building, but even beneath all that, she knew she’d rather die than fight for them, and that was how this was going to go. This was how  _ she _ was going to go. _

_ Everything became muddled together as the pain increased with her final attempt to fight. She heard the vampires talking again, but she couldn’t understand them, until she heard one word, somewhere in the middle of it all. “Regina.” With one final stab of pain, shooting through what felt like every fiber of her being, Emma gave up, hoping for death, hoping for the vampire’s happiness. And with her last thought being of Regina’s smile, she passed out. _

_ She’d never known darkness like this. _

* * *

 

Everything goes dark, not just from the fading of Emma’s memory, but from Regina’s ability to remain coherent. Like when Emma was kidnapped, she’s falling into a state of hysteria, her vision going in and out as sobs rack her body.

She could feel what Emma felt in those last moments, hear the thoughts echoing in her mind, and now that she had been there, she can’t shake the events from her mind. She’s vaguely aware of the others around her: a hand on her back and a voice at her ear, a pair of hands gripping hers as she falls forward against their owner, but she can’t pull back enough to identify her surroundings.

Eventually, she feels a glass pressing to her lips, a hand on her chin urging her to drink, so she does. The water is cold on her throat and it surprises her enough to bring her mind a little more back to the present.

“Is she gonna be okay?” she hears Neal’s worried voice ask.

“What happened?” 

It’s the utter confusion in Ruby’s voice that pulls Regina’s eyes open. What was she asking? Why? She swallows before forcing the words from her mouth, her voice rough, “Did you not see that?”

“The memory?” Regina nods, her eyes still sealed shut. “Um, we saw it, but…”

“Regina,” Snow starts carefully, “We all saw the memory, but we think it had a different effect on you. Could you… I mean…” She struggles with how to phrase her question, and Regina just decides to tell her before she can get it right.

“It was like I was there,” the vampire whispers. “I could feel everything she felt. Her thoughts were in my mind…” She trails off, her voice cracking. Regina keeps her eyes down, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze, afraid of what she would find there, or what they might find in hers. She doesn’t understand why she’s the only one breaking like she is from the memory, why everyone else is so confused. “It wasn’t like that for everyone else?” 

A tense silence settles in the room, and when no one answers, Regina can’t stand it anymore so she looks up, peering first into Snow’s eyes, wide and full of tears. “Regina…” she shakes her head. “I can’t imagine.”

The vampire tries to keep her voice level. “What was it like for you?” She glances around the room, everyone’s faces a matching mixture of shock and concern.

“It was like we were watching it through Emma’s eyes, but we could only see and hear what she saw, which, by the end… wasn’t much,” August explains with a wince. “But we couldn’t hear what she was thinking... or feel anything.” Regina’s brow furrows as she releases a shaky breath. “It might have to do with you casting the spell, but you two also have that connection. It could be either, or it could be both.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Snow asks cautiously.

Regina glances at her before looking back at her lap, fidgeting with her hands. “Maybe, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear it. Or, if you do, it’ll hurt to hear it,” she says, eyeing the vampire next to her and looking up to seek out David, who’s been quiet this entire time. 

She’s surprised to see him across the room, standing with his back to them, arms crossed tight over his chest. “David?”

He doesn’t react, and Snow turns her attention to him as she walks towards him, “David?” she asks softly, reaching a hand for his shoulder. He flinches at the contact but ultimately turns to face his girlfriend. His eyes are wild with anger, jaw set tight. “David, what is it?”

He shakes his head for a while in the strained silence before he finally mutters, “That son of a bitch.”

“Killian?”

“Gold,” David growls. “He knew what he was doing all along. He knew everything. He had this whole thing planned out,” David said, starting to pace the room in an angered frenzy. It’s so clear now that the man who dedicated eighteen years of his life by David’s side, working with the council and with Emma’s social worker, acting like he was there to give her her best chance, but instead leading her (and Snow) to her worst chance. “I always thought he was sleazy, and after what happened, I thought he might have some kind ulterior motives, but I couldn’t have imagined  _ this _ …”

They’ve all heard the story, but David tells it again, recollecting the way Gold had played him for years, had gained his trust and how David had been too naive, leaving him in charge of Emma’s file without so much as a glance in its direction.

Regina tries to listen, she really does, but all she can think about is Emma. The memory she had just been pushed into, the way that Emma’s eyes are mostly cold, but sometimes look at Regina, so full of the light she once had. She thinks about the way Emma fought against the darkness, how someone had said that  _ I don’t think it’s taking all of it _ , how when Emma kissed her the other night in her crypt she had been soft.  _ Is a piece of her soul still inside her? _

The question is so big, so staggering, that Regina feels totally overwhelmed by it, so much that she stands to walk to the kitchen for more water. So much that when she sees the darkness in the window, she breathes a sigh of relief. So much that she walks out the back door as quietly as possible, leaving the rest of them talking about Gold and his eighteen year plan, Rumple and his current plan, the Master and  _ whatever that means _ , behind. She has somewhere else to be.

The walk to her crypt feels heavier than any other, weighted down by the fear of what’s happened to Emma and the way her heart jolts with the possibility that saving her might not be as far fetched as she once thought. If she can make Emma remember somehow, maybe it’ll awaken the light within her, bring her soul back in full, or at the very least, see that Rumple is manipulating her for whatever selfish reasons he has, the rise of the Master and his own personal glory. Maybe if she can show Emma the truth, she can come back to their side, and they can figure out the rest from there.

She’s just stepped into the graveyard when she feels a fist, warm and hard against her jaw, hitting her hard enough for her to stagger, surprise covering her features as her hand presses to her face, the coolness of her hand easing the sting only slightly. The vampire doesn’t react as she once might have, with an immediate attack. Instead she looks up to gauge her opponent, and her heart stops when her eyes meet green, fueled with anger.

“Emma,” she gasps.

With a grunt, Emma lunges forward, swinging at her again, but this time Regina has time to duck backwards. When she misses, the Slayer just tries again. Regina blocks her arm with one of her own, but Emma surprises her by swinging fast with her other hand, and it knocks into Regina’s face with a loud blow.

“You did something to my head,” Emma growls. “What did you do?”

Regina gapes at her, prepared to lie her way through this, even though she already suspected Emma knew more than they were letting on the last time she saw her. “Emma, I haven’t seen you since Killian gave Snow that potion…”

“Bullshit,” Emma snarls. “You saw me last night. I know it wasn’t August. You think I wouldn’t know your eyes when I see them?” Emma questions, her voice softening almost imperceptibly at the mention of Regina’s eyes.

“My eyes?” Regina blinks. She’d had August’s eyes, August’s everything. There was no way…

“Yes, Regina. Your eyes. No one else could see, but I could. It was August until you looked at me. When you did, I knew it was you.” The vampire loses her breath for a moment, at a loss.

“Emma, I…” 

“Tell me what you did,” Emma growls, throwing another hit and making it. Regina flinched back, unaccustomed to this violence from Emma and hating every second of it.

“I didn’t do anything worse than what  _ they _ did to you,” Regina admits, backing up with her hands in front of her, palms out, as if it could calm anything about the blonde right now. But Emma just flares up more as she takes a step into Regina’s personal space.

“ _ They? _ ” 

“Yes..  _ they _ . Rumple and Killian. The others. They violated your mind long before we took the memory. They’re the ones that started it all.”

The Slayer lurks closer, Regina backing away with each step, hoping she can break down Emma’s walls before she gets cornered. “ _ What memory _ ?” Emma demands.

Regina takes a deep breath. “The memory from when you got kidnapped.” Emma frowns at her, the anger in her eyes slowly overshadowed by confusion.

“What are you talking about? I wasn’t kidnapped.” 

She says it so seriously that Regina almost laughs. “Emma… yes, you were. At your surprise party. I pushed you back to protect you, but they grabbed you from behind. Milah and Peter. They took you to Rumple… Don’t you remember?”

Emma laughs, a sound of stark disbelief, “That isn’t what happened.”

The vampire had been expecting it, but even so, she wasn’t ready for it. “What happened then?” Regina challenges, willing herself not to break.

“I left. I’d been planning to for a while, and when they showed up, and you shoved me back, I didn’t think there was a more perfect opportunity. They offered to take me in, and more importantly, they offered to remove my soul. Of course I agreed.” 

Regina shakes her head. “No…” she mutters.

“What do you mean  _ no _ ?” Emma asks, prepared to defend her story.

“You didn’t consent to that. You let them take it as a sacrifice, so they wouldn’t come after me or Snow. They imbued you with darkness to take all the light from you,” Regina explains, refusing to let Emma believe these lies.

Emma’s shaking her head, backing away from Regina, her eyes filling, not with surprise, but more anger. “You’re wrong.”

“Emma, I would never lie to you.”

“You’re lying to me right now,” Emma counters.

“I’m not…” Regina reaches for Emma, hoping to calm her, but Emma jerks back.

“My soul made me weak. I wanted it gone.” Her voice says the words so sincerely, so full of ice and bitterness that it makes Regina falter. It reminds her so much of her mother in that moment, and part of her isn’t surprised at the connection. In some way it feels significant that Emma’s manipulated thoughts run in line with Cora’s story, but she isn’t sure how, unless they’ve been wrong about the Master’s identity. Was gender ever explicitly stated? Could her mother be the Master instead of her father, or whoever else they thought it could be?  _ No, _ she thinks,  _ absolutely not. _ She killed her mother. Her mother wasn’t a special renowned vampire. Regina would have known. It would be in the research.

Emma’s voice pulls her from her thoughts again, as she mutters the words again, “You’re wrong. They didn’t… They didn’t do that to me.”

“Yes, Emma, they did.”

The blonde changes her stance, preparing to fight again instead of continuing to back away. “You’re lying,” she growls.

“Emma, you just need to remember. Your soul is still in there. A part of it, anyway. They couldn’t get it all out because you were fighting so hard against the darkness. It’s  _ there, _ Emma. You just need to see it. To feel it.”

“No,” she growls again as she throws herself at Regina, tackling her to the ground, a knee against her chest and a fist into her eye. The vampire lifts her hands to defend herself, taking a few more hits before managing to push Emma off of her and scramble to her feet. Emma stands quickly, uninjured. “You’re not gonna fight me, Regina?”

“No,” Regina answers.

“Why not? Scared? Or can you not hit me back?”

Regina swallows, standing her ground. “I’m not going to hurt you, Emma.”

The blonde scoffs, advancing back to the vampire. “Why not? Cause I’m _‘still_ _good_? _’”_ she asks, making air quotes with her fingers. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. And what do you know? I was _there_ , you weren’t. It was _my_ choice, not yours. Those ‘ _memories_ ’ you have are bullshit. You think they’re manipulating _me_? They’re manipulating _you_. Giving you fake memories to give you false hope. My soul is _gone_. I’m not _good_.” Emma keeps talking, taking larger steps towards Regina, enough that she successfully backs the vampire into a crypt, and by the time she’s pushed her way into the vampire’s face again, Regina has had more than enough.

Clearly, Emma doesn’t remember, much less  _ believe _ the possibility that  _ her _ truth isn’t the  _ real _ truth. If she won’t listen, and if she can’t remember, that leaves only one option. 

Regina hates it. She isn’t proud of it, but she conjures up her magic, remembering a basic memory spell designed to take what’s in her own mind and implant it into another’s, but she’s never done it, so she has no way of knowing if it’s actually going to work or not. 

But it’s worth a shot. She reaches her hands forward, pressing them to Emma’s face and remembering her kidnapping, her sacrifice, her fight against darkness. She feels the warm buzz of magic in her fingertips, and in just moments, the spell cuts off at completion, or what Regina hopes is completion.

Emma blinks at her, eyes overwhelmed, just for a moment before her body drops. Regina catches her before she can hit the ground, and she gently lowers the two of them down together, just holding her girlfriend in her arms for a few moments, brushing her hair from her face and admiring the features she’s missed in the past couple of weeks.

She has no way of knowing whether the spell worked or not, but if this is anything like Snow’s memory recovery, she should be okay and will likely wake up in a matter of time. Regina doesn’t want to leave her alone, but in case the spell didn’t work, she can’t risk putting everyone in danger, or being the one to give them false hope.

She makes a decision as she lifts Emma in her arms, carrying her towards her father’s crypt. She struggles to get inside with the blonde unconscious in her arms, but she manages. Setting Emma in the bed, she pulls the covers over her and lies next to her for as long as she can until her phone goes off in her pocket.

She’s not surprised that it’s from Snow. She did just wander off, after all, but she isn’t expecting such an urgent message.  _ Regina, meet us in the library as soon as you get this. It’s about Emma. _

Regina’s brow creases as she looks from her phone to the blonde lying next to her. What could it be? Emma hasn’t  _ done  _ anything because she’s been with her almost since the moment she left the house. She sends a quick affirmation back before reluctantly sitting up and presses a gentle kiss against Emma’s temple before standing, backing slowly from the crypt, her eyes not leaving the blonde’s sleeping form until she’s closing the door behind her.

She’s anxious for Emma to wake up. She hopes that when she does, she’ll remember and come find her, but all Regina can do is hope.

It’s not long before she makes it to the library, her hope slowly being eaten away by the worry she feels at Snow’s message and whatever could be happening with Emma. At this point, she’s trying not to have expectations anymore, but that doesn’t affect the surprise she feels at seeing the Apprentice in their library.

He gives her a stern nod, “Now that we’re all here, I need to tell you what’s going to happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m incredibly interested to hear your thoughts on this one! (i've been waiting months for this day and i'm so excited to share this djoifdjdklsmfjnj)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't edit this, so sorry for any mistakes! It's really short, which is weird since all the other chapters are 8k-17k LOL but it's just the way it worked out when I was outlining. I hope you like it. Not to be /that person/ but I'm starting to get self conscious that this story isn't good. But I'm not a good judge of my writing tbh. 
> 
> ANYWAY, enjoy :)

Regina takes steady breaths, slowly stepping towards the table before sitting in the chair David has pulled out for her. They actually have news. They can actually make a plan. 

The Apprentice’s face is unreadable, but Regina tries harder than ever to discern something, if the news is good or bad, if this will answer all their questions or just create more,  _ anything _ , but she can’t even get that far. The room as a whole is tense, but she surmises it has everything to do with suspense. They have been waiting on her after all.

The silence weighs heavy on them all, broken first by the loud start of the air conditioner rather than the Apprentice’s long awaited explanation. Snow shifts in her seat and David sucks in a harsh breath. Regina’s about to say something to initiate the discussion, but as if he can read her mind, he starts before she can.

“What I wanted to happen worked. The plan is in motion.”

Regina waits for him to elaborate, and to her frustration, he doesn’t. “Does that mean you can stop being so cryptic and tell us about it now? What this  _ plan _ is?”

His eyes shift around as if looking for someone before he whispers. “It’s not safe here.” Snow looks personally offended for a moment as if he was criticizing her library and making it personal until Regina shoots her a glare. The Apprentice doesn’t notice, suddenly looking even more alert, eyes finally giving out a recognizable emotion. Fear.

“What is it?” Regina asks, looking nervously around the room much like her friends are. However, the Apprentice has no time to answer. The next thing Regina hears from him is a guttural sputtering, almost like a gurgle, and she turns back to see the man, hands on his throat, blood trickling across his fingers. 

Her mouth is open, but no sound comes out as she locks eyes with the dying man, his going wide at the turn of events, as he tries and fails to mutter his final words. Regina and Neal are the only ones still sitting, frozen in shock. The rest of their group has scrambled back, reaching for weapons or attempting to wield magic.

When Regina manages to move, it’s only enough to look for the source of the Apprentice’s demise, who reveals himself with a smug grin. “Killian,” she growls as she stands to lunge in his direction, ready to snap his neck in her bare hands.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” comes a voice from behind her. It’s young and familiar, and she turns to meet Peter’s humorless eyes as he saunters towards them, walking around Regina until he’s right in front of the Apprentice. He lets out a single bark of monotonous laughter. “Good job, Killian.”

Regina watches in horror as the Apprentice’s shocked expression slowly fades into the realization of the inevitable, accepting his fate before his hands fall limp to his lap and his head droops until it hits the back of the chair. 

One heartbeat is silenced, but four others pick up behind her as if noticing another change in the room. Her suspicions become confirmed when she sees several more vampires lurking in, snarling at them. Automatically, her eyes look for Emma, even though she knows where she is. The vampire wonders if she’s woken up yet. If she’s okay. If she remembers.

“It’s done,” Killian says. “Let’s go.”

“Go?” the woman leading the pack by the door questions with a snort. “We’re not going to fight them?”

“Or eat that one?” another asks from the back, gesturing to the Apprentice’s body. Regina actually scoffs at him.  _ How cheap _ . Even as the soulless villain she used to be,  _ she _ wouldn’t have done that.

“Don’t be stupid,” Killian says walking back to the door. “I’ve done enough. We need to find our little pet human. Since those two couldn’t keep track of her,” he side eyes Snow and David as he passes them and the vampire has to hold her boyfriend back just to keep him from starting the fight none of them were ready for. 

“Whatever. Let’s go,” he mutters as he strolls out of the library. Everyone follows him but the woman, who remains in the doorway, a bitter scowl on her face. “Milah!” Killian barks. “I said--”

“I heard you,” she sneers before turning, leaving Regina and the others behind, alone with the Apprentice’s body. The air shuts off after they walk out, a mundane shift in a life altering moment, leaving the room as silent as it feels.

For a long silence, no one says anything, until Neal nervously asks, “What do we do?” His eyes fall on the Apprentice, bloody and unmoving. “We can’t leave him here…” 

“We should file a report.” He glances at Snow. “You’ll have to do it. We can’t tell them that we were all here, and you’re the most likely to have found him.” 

Snow nods somberly. “I can go take care of that right now. The sooner the better.” She gathers her things. “You should go, get everyone home. I’m going down to the station, but I’ll keep you updated.”

“I’ll let you know if anything else happens. Be safe, okay?” They share a kiss before Snow leaves, the rest of them sneaking out not long after.

It’s still dark out, the night just getting started, and as it always seems to when the action of their lives starts building to its inevitable toppling, the air feels quiet and full of tense static. It makes Regina feel antsy, more than she already is. If it wouldn’t look so suspicious, she would turn and sprint all the way back to her crypt to check on Emma, assuming she’s still there, but she doesn’t want anyone following or asking questions. She’s not ready to share anything with them until she knows the results of the spell. 

No one likes false hope, especially after all they’ve been through.

Instead she walks back to Snow and David’s place, hovering close to August and Neal, ready to protect them in case if any threats come up, but the whole way back, nothing does. The air remaining uncomfortably still as if something bigger than they’re prepared for is in the works. “What do you think the plan is?” August suddenly asks, as if he was thinking the same thing.

Regina shrugs as the conversation opens itself up. Everyone seems to be worried about it, thinking it’s something incomprehensibly large, but Regina doesn’t feel anything is in motion. Maybe everything does feel a little different, but they just watched someone get murdered. Of course things are going to feel different.

And then there’s Emma.

If anything’s changing, Regina hopes it’s her memories.

When they get back to Snow and David’s place, rounding up for their next big conversation, David immediately makes a phone call while everyone waits in silence. 

“Who’s he talking to?” Neal whispers. August shrugs, looking to the other two, but Regina doesn’t meet his eyes. Instead she glances at Ruby, looking for an indication that she can hear the other end of the line, and judging by the the curl of her lip, she can. The other two will find out soon enough. 

David pulls the phone away to dial an extension before putting the phone back up to his ear, a concentrated look on his face. “Arthur? This is David.” There’s a silence on the other end that makes Regina think the other man’s going to hang up.

“ _ What is it?” _

“I need some information.”

_ “You know that after what happened, you no longer work for us, right? Snow doesn’t either. You’re both off of the Slayer’s case in our books.” _ Regina rolls her eyes in time with David.

“Yeah, I’ve got that. But I have a few questions--”

_ “Alright, I don’t have a lot of time so make it quick. _ ”

“Has Gold contacted you since he quit?”

“ _ No, and you’ll do well to remember that he was  _ your _ mistake, not our choice. _ ”

David’s eyes close and he releases a quiet sigh, hopefully not audible to the man on the other end of the phone. “I do remember. I always will.”

“ _ Okay, well if that’s all…” _

“No.” David pauses for a moment, waiting to see if the man on the other end is going to interrupt him again. When he doesn’t, he continues. “I need to know if you’ve still been keeping up with Emma.”

“ _ She’s still our Slayer isn’t she _ ?”

At the implication that Emma is  _ anybody’s _ , Regina is ready to fight the Council, but now isn’t the time. David looks like he’s reminding himself the same thing, but he doesn’t hesitate when he says, “You know what I mean. We aren’t sure since you never bothered assigning her a new Watcher.”

“ _ We  _ did _ assign her a new Watcher, _ ” Arthur says. “ _ His name is Killian Jones _ .”

Regina makes a choked sound at the revelation, standing and wasting no time in leaving the room before she rips the phone from David’s hand to give them a piece of her mind. She’s sure she’ll get the chance one day, but right now it seems counterproductive, especially when Emma could be waking up any minute now with some sense knocked back into her.

Unfortunately, she isn’t.

Emma is still exactly where Regina left her, more or less. Once again, Regina notes how much more she looks like herself when she’s asleep, relaxed and taking up more space than she needs to be. The vampire brushes a strand of blonde hair out of the way before leaving a soft kiss against Emma’s temple, but she isn’t hoping for True Love’s Kiss, not anymore. 

Nothing happens at the contact except that Emma whines a little, like she always did when she would wake up a little when Regina was climbing out of bed, reaching to pull her back before she could even go anywhere, only this time she doesn’t reach, and Regina doesn’t think about what that means.

She thinks it would be best to wait until Emma wakes up on her own, in case if the magics effects are still working in her mind as she sleeps. She wouldn’t want to interrupt that, except--

_ Her mind _ .

Regina wastes no time in moving across the crypt to the dusty old trunk she has hidden under an even dustier tablecloth. She’d hidden some books about magic in there, and she hadn’t even thought about them until now. It’s odd, having fought so hard to keep magic out, only to be the one to bring it back in so…  _ passionately _ on her own, but it’s even odder the way she thinks nothing of it, sifting through old pages for a spell she’s only heard about.

It’s almost like fate how only minutes pass before she’s staring down at it, eyes widening at its complexity, or at least how advanced it thinks she ought to be before attempting it. There isn’t much of a choice, she thinks. It’s either  _ do the spell _ or  _ don’t _ .  _ Try to save Emma yourself _ or  _ wait for the Master’s plan to kick in _ .

She hesitates, weighing the cost of using magic so powerful and the risk factors for both her and Emma. The pros and cons of waiting to see if the spell worked, what Emma would do next if it hadn’t. Ultimately it was the way Emma whimpered in her sleep, shifting slightly enough on the bed that Regina was beside her in seconds, fingers lightly brushing a cheekbone before whispering the incantation like she’d already read it over a hundred times. She lies down next to Emma before the spell’s effects will take place. Whatever those are going to consist of, she isn’t sure, if the spell is even going to work, she isn’t sure, but when the buzz of magic starts, she squeezes her eyes shut as she laces her fingers with Emma’s, hoping that the blonde will ground her at least a little bit.

Even though she’s lying down, she feels dizzy, and she can feel herself drifting off like she’s falling asleep, but there’s a pull at another level, almost like a dream state but more conscious. She doesn’t understand what it is until she realizes she’s standing up again, swaying a little on her feet.

Regina is about to open her eyes and take a look around when she’s very nearly tackled to the floor by something grabbing her, arms around her neck, but she manages to remain standing against the force of the attack. Her hands pull back, ready to shove in defense, but when her hands grip the sides of the small body, she realizes this isn’t a threat.

She pulls away enough to see whoever is in front of her, but she keeps her eyes closed, afraid to have the truth revealed, but now that she’s recovered from the spinning of magic, all her senses have kicked back in, and she doesn’t need to hear the way her name is whispered  or see the bright green eyes seeking hers to know that she has Emma in her arms.

Their foreheads knock gently together, and Regina pulls herself closer, looping her arms around the blonde’s waist. They stand like that for a long moment before regina finally allows her eyes to flutter open, and they meet Emma’s immediately, full of tears, rolling silently down her face. “Regina,” she says, and the vampire forgot Emma could ever sound so scared.

But she also sounds  _ alive _ .

“Your soul…” she starts to ask.

“It’s me, Regina. I’m…”

“I know.” 

Emma looks skeptical, like she believes Regina still sees her as the soulless version of herself, and if the evidence weren’t so conclusive, if  _ this _ Emma weren’t so…  _ Emma _ , Regina really would believe that, but as it happens…

“How are you here?”

“How are  _ you _ here?” Emma counters. “You’re in my mind, right?” Emma looks down, tearing her gaze from Regina’s before asking softly. “Or did I finally die?”

“Emma…” Regina’s still heart clenches at the memory from her first experience in Emma’s ind, watching her girlfriend sacrifice her own life to save her and Snow. “You’re not dead,” the vampire answers, shaking her head.

Another set of tears spill from Emma’s eyes. “I wish I were,” she quietly admits.

Regina doesn’t need to ask to know that Emma is just as, if not more, disturbed about the soulless version of herself working with the enemy, tormenting her friends and family. But she still doesn’t  _ understand _ . If Emma had truly lost her soul, Regina wouldn’t be talking to  _ this _ Emma. 

She thinks back to the memory they’d pulled from Emma’s mind, the way she’d fought so hard against the whole process. The process which had supposedly taken too long, having had something in the way.

“Your soul,” Regina breathes, wiping a tear from Emma’s cheek. “It’s not gone.” she’s smiling at the blonde, who doesn’t smile back, but she  _ does _ stop crying. Her brow wrinkles in thought before she looks back at the vampire.

“No, but it’s mostly gone,” she says before offering up more explanation. “I know because I can feel it. Most of the time, everything is dark. Like… okay so you can tell that I’m  _ me _ , but in some ways I’m still  _ me _ out there. Consciously, I mean. There have been a few times…” Emma’s eyes drift to their joined hands, swinging slightly between them. “Sometimes it’s like everything being back to normal, but it never lasts long before it goes dark again.”

“So, you’re not… conscious?” Regina asks carefully, trying to hide her cringe at the memory of Emma and Killian, the implication that all of them are feeding from her.

“I am. It’s… hard to explain. I don’t think it’s at all like when you had a soul. Because I’m watching things happen, and I’m  _ doing _ things and _ saying _ things, but none of it means anything to me. It’s like I’m on autopilot. But at the same time, it isn’t really  _ me _ . It’s kind of like I’ve been possessed by the soulless part of myself. Sometimes I have control, sometimes I don’t. I don’t feel things. Not since...”

“Since they took it.” Emma nods. “But right now?”

Emma beams, “Right now, I can feel. You can hear it can’t you? My heart.” 

With a grin, Regina places a hand over Emma’s chest, feeling the organ pounding along with the sound. “Yes, my love. I’ve missed it.” 

“I’ve missed  _ you _ .”

The vampire feels herself start to cry, but she tries to hold it back. They don’t have much time, and as much as Regina wants to spend the little time they have holding Emma in her arms and making her heart skip beats, they have something to take care of, and if all goes well, she’ll be able to do all those things all the time.

Emma seems to sense the same because she suddenly grows serious, thumbs brushing over Regina’s skin, waiting for her to talk. “We went into your mind. Got the memory of your kidnapping.” The blonde doesn’t look surprised by this, which may be because the part of Emma where her soul still resides still has the correct memory, but Regina suspects that the soulless part finally got the memo. “I tried giving it to you. It worked?”

“I think so. We’ll see when I wake up.” They fall into silence, the kind of quiet that takes over when there’s a specific thing that needs to be said, or asked, or answered, but disappears the moment it needs to be recalled.

“Do you know anything?” Regina suddenly asks, starting Emma a little.

“What?”

“If you’ve been conscious… with  _ them _ , I didn’t know if they’d let you in on anything.”

“Right,” Emma says. “They don’t tell me everything, but I know that the whole point is for the Master to rise, but I don’t know who that is exactly. They’re really vague. It’s not anyone I’ve met though. It’s someone who’s dead, hence the rising.”

“If they don’t tell you anything, and they didn’t even successfully take your soul, then what do they need you for? Besides…” Regina trails off, regretting the implication. “I mean--”

“It’s… well, it’s  _ not _ okay, but--”

“You don’t need to explain. I know that it’s not  _ really _ you,” Regina says, looking down at their hands. 

“Okay. Uh, well, the plan isn’t really  _ working _ . I think they’re making a plan B. It’ll probably involve killing me, one way or another. Or having me kill you. I don’t know,” Emma shrugs. “It seems like the kind of evil thing they would go for.”

“But we’re fighting it,  _ You’re _ fighting it.”

Emma nods, “You guys have a plan?”

The vampire scowls. “ _ The plan is in motion _ . That’s what the Apprentice told us before Killian slaughtered him…”

“He did what?!”

“What he does best. Ruin everything.” Emma gapes at her, speechless and horrified. “No doubt he’ll get what’s coming one day. Hope I get the honors…”

“Wait, but what plan? What was the Apprentice talking about?”

“He never got to explain. It was  _ so  _ cryptic, Emma. He said it was outside of the laws of time and nature, whatever that means. There’s no guarantee, but it plays in with prophecies.” 

At the word, Emma cringes. “I don’t think I like prophecies anymore.”

“Me neither.”

“True Love’s Kiss doesn’t work,” Emma says, like Regina doesn’t already know. “I wanted it to. I still want it to.”

“I know. Me too,” Regina says, pressing a hand soft against Emma’s tear stained cheek before bringing their lips together, gentle and unsure, but Emma launches into it, pulling Regina’s arm around her back, their fingers still tied together, the other hand through Regina’s hair, cupping the back of her neck.

Regina kisses her back like True Love’s Kiss could work in Emma’s mind, under this spell, but there’s not a chance, and instead of feeling stronger, she feels the connection falter just slightly, and she sobs against Emma’s lips. “I miss you so much, Emma. Come back to me.”

Emma pulls back, green eyes on hers, full of hope and belief, and Regina starts to believe they can  _ really _ win this. If she can just keep the high of this moment, of seeing Emma ( _ her _ Emma) in front of her, of feeling her hand warm against her cold skin, of hearing the thrum of her heart sounding in her ears, she can make it through anything.

The fading between them grows stronger, and Emma smiles wider, knowing that it’s going to give Regina more reason to fight than she already has. “I love you,” Emma says, her fingers brushing down the nape of her neck until the sensation is gone completely.

She disappears before she can respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? hopes? dreams?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am incredibly nervous about posting this chapter!

Emma wakes up scowling.

Her head hurts, a dull pounding all throughout, and it just makes her want to pull the covers over her head and sleep until it’s gone, but she knows that’s not how it works, especially when she feels like she’s been asleep for  _ days _ . When was the last time she had water? Ate a meal? She’s likely dehydrated, she thinks, and as she sits up, groaning into her hand, her heart flips. The action brings a new memory forward. 

_ Regina _ . 

Regina was…  _ here _ ? No, how could she have been? But she was talking to Emma? Holding her hand? The longing for such an action lasts for a moment before whatever internal natural force that comes with being soulless pushes it back, replacing it with mild irritation. Had Regina been  _ cuddling _ her in her sleep? What had she even been doing here? And hadn’t Emma made a vow to herself that she wouldn’t sleep in the vampire’s crypt anymore?

She scowls again.

It’s bright when she steps outside. Not so bright that she has to flinch or squint but enough to question how long she’s been asleep for. Twelve hours? Sixteen? Twenty? The last thing she remembered was marching through the graveyard looking for Regina because of…

The word  _ memories _ stops her in her tracks in the middle of the graveyard. Before, she’d had no question of her alliance and her role in Rumple’s plan. She’d run away on her birthday when they conveniently ambushed Underbrooke. They said they could remove her soul, and she let them. 

Then Regina had broken in somehow like she always seemed to. If a vampire can’t get into someone’s house, why are they able to get into someone’s mind? Had she actually used magic? The blonde remembers how apprehensive Regina had been about performing magic, almost as much as Emma had about losing her soul…

Emma can feel her mind tripping over itself as it stumbles towards a conclusion she isn’t even sure she can wrap her mind around. She reaches for it, a time curled in Regina’s arms, trembling about her soul being torn out, a time where she’s strapped down, crying for Regina as darkness overtakes her, but then it’s like she hits a wall and everything seems out of reach. It makes her dizzy, the way the other thoughts seem to tug her back. She wanted her soul gone. She wasn’t afraid.

But she was, wasn’t she?

It’s hard to stand, and she’s never been more grateful for the sun in this soulless, still human form of hers. No one is around to see her vulnerability. Not Killian or Peter. Not Regina. 

But she knows she can’t stay here.

She takes a moment, crouched on the ground, her back pressed against the cooler side of a tombstone as she faces away from the sun. She would be okay, more or less, if she could just get her memories straight… her thoughts, but the more she tries to quell them, the worse it gets. Everything makes less and less sense the longer she tries to wrap her head around it, and eventually she just stops.

It’s not like there’s any way for her to get the  _ truth _ anyways. Everyone has decided their own truths, and that makes Emma even more lost than ever. She tries to think back to the prophecy she’d been told from the newer memories from Regina, but she can only remember pieces. Would it make her suspicious to ask Rumple about it? It couldn’t be worse than going to Regina or anyone else.

She makes the journey back to Rumple’s lair, unable to settle her thoughts and bring peace to her mind, so she instead tries to focus on her emotions. Since losing her soul, she hadn’t felt much of anything. It was exactly what she had expected -  nothing but a dark void. Until now, she hadn’t questioned any of the side effects of being soulless, but now all she could wonder if she was even still  _ Emma _ .

It wasn’t as though she lost her memories from  _ before _ , so she remembers what it was like having a soul, and it’s even more alarming to her after the thoughts Regina had pushed back into her mind, and after last night’s dream, if that’s even what it was.

All she really knows right now is that she’s frustrated and  _ mad _ , and that’s what drives her back to the cave under the library. She can get there through the school, but she never goes that way, for fear of being spotted by any of her friends, who she already knows still gather there to scheme, oblivious to the lair’s location. 

For a moment, she thinks she ought to give them a heads up before she remembers that she’s supposed to be  _ evil _ .

The rest of the journey through the underground, Emma does all she can not to think about  _ anything _ , but it’s hard because all her mind seems to want to do is remind her of Regina. Emma  _ feels _ like she misses her, but she doesn’t want to admit that to herself, so she ignores the aching in her chest and moves on.

She doesn’t have to worry about any residue emotions for long because as soon as she stomps into the lair, and she hears Killian’s pathetic voice calling out, “Swan, I’m hungry! Get over here!” Emma is fuming. 

“Starve!” she shouts back.

His face falls. She hears Milah laugh. “Serves you right for being so greedy. Why is it that  _ you’re _ always the one that gets to feed from her anyways?”

“Because I need to be the strongest,” Killian says matter-of-factly.

Milah scoffs. “As if. I’m clearly better than you. More useful. Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s gay and would choose me over you any day.”

Emma was planning on bypassing them, but the way they’re arguing over her makes her want to stay and tell them off that much more. She watches as Killian sneers, starting to make some disgusting comment that somehow both invalidates her sexuality and degrades women, and she doesn’t even let him finish. “Shut  _ up _ ! Just shut the fuck up!  _ No one _ will be feeding from me. Not now. Not  _ ever _ . I’m not here just to satisfy your needs, and I’m finished.”

The two vampires looked shocked for a moment before Milah turns away, clearly embarrassed, and Emma hopes that the majority of it is due to her affiliation with the misogynistic pig next to her. Killian looks unashamed, “What, are you gonna try and tell me you’re  _ exclusive _ ? After all we’ve been through?”

Emma has to fight back a shudder. She remembers Regina somehow finding them down here, running from the scene as Killian fed from Emma. At the time, the Slayer hadn’t been fazed. She’d just shrugged it off and made the excuse that it wasn’t  _ just _ Killian and it somehow made everything okay. But now it fills her with something as close to remorse as she’s come since she lost her soul. She could have explained it better. Or she could have rejected him and the others in the first place.

It’s not the first time Emma wonders if she and Regina are even still dating.

But it  _ is _ the first time she actively hopes they are.

“What’s your problem, Swan?”

“What?”

“You’re just acting weird.” Emma shrugs dismissively. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to notice her unusual behaviour and read into it, but she’s glad if it has to be anyone that it’s Killian. The only one dumb enough so it might not be too late. “I’m going to have Peter keep an eye on you.”

“Whatever,” Emma groans. “Why can’t you just let it go? I just wanted to talk to Rumple.” It’s improvisation at its best, but it at least stops Killian. 

“Fine. You know where to find him.”

She holds her head up as she walks past Killian, suddenly unsure of how someone without a soul is  _ supposed _ to act. The vampire doesn’t pay her any mind though, and she feels herself relax as soon as she’s out of his sight. 

She tries to reach some semblance of soulless normalcy, or whatever it is that she’s been thoughtlessly maintaining this whole time, before she gets to Rumple’s sub-cave. He giggles when he sees her, and she rolls her eyes. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” he says as if it’s anything but.

“Can I ask you about something? It’s about prophecies,” she blurts out with all the confidence she can muster, determined to find some answers without sounding like she’s looking for them.

She’s discouraged when his face falls but feels better when he nods just slightly. It gets worse when she realizes she’s not even sure what she ought to ask. “Are there any about me?” is the first thing she asks. He gives her a look that is nothing if not unimpressed. “About  _ this _ …” she amends, gesturing at her soulless body.

Rumple doesn’t even bat an eye when he responds, “It is written,  _ ‘A young girl, purer than snow, will be called as the Slayer. Her light will save her soul, but someone will tear it from her and she will set the plan in motion. The Master will rise again.’ _ ”

Emma is sure that if she’d heard this from him yesterday, she would have scoffed before dismissing it entirely.  _ Torn? Purer than snow? _ She would have told Rumple to fuck off. She would have told him that was about her  _ mother _ . But given the circumstances, and given the fact that traces of this prophecy are lingering in the space between her fake and real memories, she isn’t sure what’s true.

She laughs awkwardly at Rumple. “That can’t be about me. That’s obviously about my mother.” It’s the answer he would want, but he just quirks a brow. Emma doesn’t know how she’s supposed to react to that. “What are you saying? That you tore my soul out for your own selfish reasons?”

Rumple giggles again. Softer this time. “What do you think?”

Emma gives him a half hearted, one shouldered shrug. “I think you’re always up to no good.”

“You’ve got that right, dearie.”

“Whatever,” Emma groans. “Hey, so I’m not under any contract to feed those greedy assholes am I?”

Fortunately, she isn’t, but that doesn’t stop Killian’s ridiculous and unnecessary commentary. The more he pushes, the more Emma feels herself shrinking inside herself, the bitterness and rage taking over whatever carnal desire she has to feel comfort again. 

It’s almost like a part of her is still alive inside her, growing stronger the more she realizes it’s there, but weaker the more Killian pushes. Of course  _ he _ would bring out the worst in her.

Eventually, she’s had more than enough and she’s excusing herself before she can even think about what time it is. She leaves through the school, not worried about running into her mom or any of her fr--  _ former  _ friends, and she sneaks out into the darkness, even more confused than before. 

Her mind keeps returning to the prophecy Rumple had recounted. If it  _ was _ about  _ her _ (and she’s sure it was), then everything Regina had told her was true, and everything she’d been fed by Rumple and the others had been a lie. 

When she arrives at Regina’s crypt, she isn’t surprised. Even if she didn’t know this was where she was going to end up, it seemed almost inevitable that this was where she’d been heading. 

Even though she’d just been there this morning, she falls apart the minute she steps in, overwhelmed by the sense of Regina. The vampire isn’t here, which,  _ good _ because she doesn’t need to see Emma falling apart and assuming that she’s actually not a threat and is still the innocent girl who likes cuddling and grilled cheese.

But really that thought alone breaks Emma even more, and not only is it unhelpful, it’s  _ sad _ . Before she knows it, the Slayer is curled up on Regina’s old bed, wrapped up under the blanket. The fabric smells faintly like the vampire, and Emma supposes that it’s proof, more or less, that Regina really had been here. She would have thought it would make her angry, but it just makes her wistful.

For a moment, she feels the loss a little less and the warmth a little more, and even though the tears don’t stop, she’s almost glad they’re there. It’s hopeful albeit incredibly depressing.

She doesn’t have time to be surprised when the door is suddenly shoved open just before it slams back shut, and Emma blinks back tears to seek out whoever has just broken in, but her eyes can’t adjust as fast as the intruder is rushing over to her.

There are strong hands lifting her up enough for someone to curl beneath her, a cold hand ghosting just under her ribcage and another at the nape of her neck, and it only takes a breath for Emma to identify that Regina is the one holding her. She wants to scowl again and shove away, but instead of pushing the vampire away, she only pulls her closer, and instead of sneering at her in disdain, she cries harder into her shirt.

Regina’s heart thuds once, so soft that Emma wouldn’t have known unless she’d been listening for it. “Emma…” The vampire’s voice is almost as soft as the faint sound of her heart beating, and the blonde can feel the broken sound of it in her own chest, which is just  _ exploding _ . The longer she cries in Regina’s arms, the faster her own heart seems to beat.

In Regina’s arms, she’s overcome with more hope than she knows what to do with.

But of course, she succumbs to it, seeking some kind of escape, and there’s only one thing she thinks  _ might _ actually work. It hasn’t before, but now that she  _ wants _ it to… could that make all the difference?

The tears are still slipping out as she climbs onto Regina’s lap, bringing one leg to rest on either side of Regina’s, leaning back against her legs. She’s too afraid to open her eyes, but she can imagine that the vampire’s are open, watching her curiously, but Emma won’t meet her gaze, worried that it’ll break the illusion and she’ll feel as empty as she had the other day.

Her hands are tentative as she raises them to Regina, settling one hand on the soft skin at the vampire’s neck, the other reaching for her face. She threads her fingers through the vampire’s hair and twirls a strand in her fingers before letting it drop. It's the most human she’s felt in days.

She traces her fingertips across the length of Regina’s cheekbone from her ear, and when her thumb brushed through a tear streak, she fails to hold back a sob of her own. Her fingers reach Regina’s lips, and the vampire rests her hand against Emma’s, leaving a gentle kiss to her fingers. Emma scoots up until their foreheads are rested against one another. She’d been planning on taking her time to get to this point, but it’s suddenly too much and Emma crashes her lips against Regina’s as soon as she can manage. 

Her hand tangles in Regina’s hair as she pulls her closer. She’s hoping for some kind of big reaction, for her chest to feel full and light at the same time, for her to want to keep kissing Regina, not because her body wants it but because her heart needs it, but nothing happens except that she feels empty, short of the incongruencies between her body and mind, reminding her of all the ways she wants Regina but none of the reasons behind them. 

Emma breaks apart abruptly and as her head comes to rest on Regina’s shoulder her body goes slack. She’s still crying, but she has nothing to show for it except a looming darkness and an indiscernible clump of conflicting memories.

“Emma?”

She can feel the anger starting, and she doesn’t want to take it out on Regina, She shakes her head, eyes still closed, as she climbs off Regina and off of the bed, retreating away with her head in her hands. 

Regina must sense the building anger because she says her name again, somehow both in warning and in comfort, and it’s enough to make Emma spill, spinning around only to find Regina has followed her over. Their eyes meet, and Regina’s look so hurt yet so determined. Honestly Emma isn’t sure what to do anymore or what to feel.

“How?” she starts, throwing her hands in the air and letting them slap hard against her legs as they fall. Regina’s head shakes a little, and Emma groans. “How the  _ fuck _ am I supposed to get saved if True Love’s Kiss won’t even work?”

Regina pulls back, the crushed look on her face unfolding into something so full of hope that it makes Emma’s head spin a little. “You...  _ want _ to be saved?” the vampire asks hesitantly, distrusting of hope. 

Emma had been too angry to wrap her head around her words sooner, but now that she’s thinking about it, it  _ sounds _ like she’s angry, not about the lack of clarity, but about the lack of her soul and the amount of ways to get it back. She blinks back at Regina in equal surprise, feeling truly self aware for the first time since leaving everyone behind, and when Regina smiles faintly at her, not just with her lips but with her eyes, Emma  _ knows _ .

Regina has been right this whole time.

She wants to kiss her again, not just because  _ maybe _ now that she knows the truth, Regina can bring her soul back, but because she  _ wants to _ , just to feel Regina’s lips smiling against hers, just to feel the warmth Regina’s cold hands bring her, but before she can close the distance between them, the door is being thrown open again, and someone is marching through it with heavy footsteps, and Emma doesn’t need to look to know who it is. 

Killian grabs her wrist and tugs her back, hissing at her about  _ putting a tighter leash on you _ and  _ you’re never coming back here _ and  _ we’ll make sure you don’t pull shit like this again _ before she’s pushed violently backwards towards the door. 

Her vision is spotty, and she tries to blink the dizziness away, looking to make sure Regina’s okay. She can hear the blows, but she isn’t sure who’s taking them or who’s giving them, but she gets her answer soon enough as they stop, and Killian’s hand is on her wrist again, dragging her out. 

Her eyes land on Regina’s body sprawled across the floor, and she blacks out. 

* * *

 

Regina wakes up in excruciating pain, and she flinches in the right direction, she realizes as she opens her eyes moments later, watching the sun creep across the floor of the crypt through the open door.

She shuffles further back into a corner the sun can’t reach, cradling her hand. She’s lucky to have not disentigated to a pile of ash, and for a moment, she’s kicking herself for being so reckless until she remembers Killian’s fist in her face and his foot in her gut and his hands on Emma, pushing her around. She’s wanted to kill the bastard countless times already, but this gives her enough incentive to take the blanket from her bed, throw it over her and make a run for it through the sunlight to a crypt with a tunnel she knows can get her to the library.

She can figure the rest out from there.

By the time she makes it to the other crypt, the blanket is singed, smelling more of burnt fabric than it does of Emma, and Regina discards it with a frown, trying to think of anything but Killian pushing the blonde away with more force than necessary. She does think of Emma though, and she lets her passion lead her through the maze of underground tunnels.

The closer she gets to the library, the greater her sense of unease, and certain parts of the tunnel feel familiar in a way she can’t place. She thinks she must have just made a wrong turn so she corrects herself and finally reaches the school basement and the stairs leading up to the main floor.

Something’s wrong. She knows as soon as she steps into the dark hallway, and she moves with both hesitation and purpose, listening for anything unusual. When she pushes the door of the library back, she’s horrified to see David sprawled across the floor, Snow hovering over him in a wide eyed shock. August is leaning against the wall, hands on his knees as if trying to catch his breath. Neal is collapsed into a chair with his face against the table. They’re all breathing.

“What happened?” Regina asks, her voice shaky and too quiet. “Where’s Ruby?” She looks to Snow for answers, but the other vampire is nearly comatose, she she makes her way to August. “What happened?” she asks again. She’s not afraid of the answer until August looks up at her with eyes that show just how lost he feels.

“Emma.”

_ Emma? _ Regina shakes her head. It couldn’t have been Emma. There’s no  _ way _ . She’d given the blonde her memories back, had confirmed with Emma’s subconscious that her soul wasn’t completely extinguished, and she had just spoken with an Emma who appeared to be self aware, for the most part. She couldn’t be the one that did this.

“Rumple did this.”

August shakes his head. “Regina…”

“No. Emma was… she  _ couldn’t  _ have done this. You should have  _ seen  _ her, August. She was aware… she was…” Regina gives up, her hands falling to her sides. “I don’t believe you. It was a trick.”

August gapes at her, a longing in his eyes for whatever truth Regina believes in blocked out by his logic. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Regina mutters, turning her attention back to Snow. 

The other woman looks helplessly up at her. “Regina?” she says, so  _ small _ , so  _ lost _ . “I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“She’s not herself,” Snow says, inaudible to everyone but Regina, and the vampire looks away, wondering again about the kind of magical control they could have put on Emma. If they’d all been inhabiting August’s body, there’s no telling what kind of mess they could be in with Rumple in charge.

David mutters unintelligibly from the ground, and Snow breaks just a little more, lifting him up to hold him in her arms. He keeps making noise, like he’s trying to talk, but Snow silences him with soft tones and gentle brushes against his hair. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.”

His eyes meet Regina’s, almost begging her to ask again-- 

“What happened?”

“Um…” Snow starts, brushing a tear from her face. “We were in here planning. I was actually trying to call you and see if you could come. You weren’t at home last night, and it just worried me. But you missed my first call and I got worried. Ruby was out trying to find you while Neal and August started reading. I kept calling you, just in case, and-- we were so worried. Then all of a sudden, Emma was here. She looked so  _ confused _ , Regina, like she wasn’t sure if she was here to plan with us or there to attack us, but then she started fighting. 

“It was over in minutes. August was trying to block her off with a shielding spell. She got to David first, before we were prepared, and then Neal tried to talk to her and she shoved him, and that’s when August came in. She was about to go for me, but when we made eye contact, I saw she was crying, and then she just turned and ran. I think… I think she might remember.”

“Yeah, about that…” Regina starts, ready to fill Snow in on everything she’d been neglecting to fill them in on, when Ruby suddenly comes bounding through the door before shifting back into her human form.

She looks disturbed at the scene in front of her but relieved at Regina’s presence. “This looks bad, but uh, I think I have something that will help us.”

August makes his way over to the table next to Neal, and Regina and Snow help ease David over as well. Ruby paces back and forth, waiting for them all to be ready. 

“Okay well, we should probably leave when it gets dark,  _ first of all _ .”

“What? Why?”

“I know where their lair is.” Regina shifts uncomfortably in her seat, the answer almost seeming to come back to her. She had been there once after all… and as Ruby says it, she can’t believe she’d forgotten. “It’s under the library.”

Snow gapes at her. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I caught Emma’s scent when I was looking for Regina. I followed it, and it led me into the school basement, and I took a different turn than the way Regina goes to get through here, and all of a sudden, it was  _ right there _ . I could tell it was cloaked though, but I think something went wrong with their magic.”

“Did they see you?”

“Unfortunately, yeah. They told Emma to  _ take care of me like you did the others _ , and she marched over, pulling me by the scruff of my neck to the place the cloak starts. She crouched down at eye level and told me to run before she lost her grasp. I didn’t get to ask her what it meant before I was coming up here. I’m sorry I don’t have the answers for you…”

“I do,” Regina said, speaking up. “After the spell… when we pulled her memories, she attacked me, and I did another spell. Memory implantation. She passed out. She was out for a while, and then I stayed with her. I might have also gone into her mind…” August’s eyes widen. “And I talked to her. Part of her soul is still in there. She has the memories. Both sets, but she mentioned wanting to be saved, the last time I talked to her, and she tried to make True Love’s Kiss work, but it didn’t, of course But she was  _ trying _ . Then Killian showed up, and knocked me out. They must have done something else to her…”

Snow nods in agreement. “I could see it in her eyes. I was thinking it could still be there, but I didn’t want to… you know.”

“Get too hopeful?” Snow nods. “I understand. But she remembers, and the Apprentice’s plan…” 

“When do you think that’s going to happen? I’m starting to get nervous,” Neal says. “I feel like we haven’t really gotten anywhere new. We don’t have any more answers now than we did then. Not really…” 

“I think--” David suddenly starts, interrupting himself with a shake of his head. “It seems so crazy, and I’m not sure how reliable it is because it’s from the Council…” Regina scowls. “But I think it means  _ something _ . Before I was sent here, and before Emma moved here, when all of this was just starting, Gold told me that this case would be  _ interesting _ . When I asked him why, he told me Storybrooke High was built on a Hellmouth. I wasn’t sure how that could be significant, but I think it has everything to do with what’s going on right now. But I feel like I’m missing something…”

“Maybe that’s what we should be researching. We’ve never looked for anything on Hellmouths, and I’m pretty sure they’ve come up in these books.”

“They have,” Neal nods. “But you’re right. We haven’t really talked about them or even read about them. I wish we could still ask the Apprentice.”

Regina shrugs, “Maybe he didn’t know. I doubt he even would have come here if he had. Unless he knew his death was meant to happen or something ridiculous.” She lets out a soft sigh. “I’m tired of researching and prophecies and looking for spells. We need to take action.” 

“Like what?”

Regina opens her mouth to respond, but David’s phone ringing interrupts her. They all watch as David picks it up and rolls his eyes the second he glances at it. “It’s Arthur.”

“Don’t answer it,” Regina scowls. “We’ve had more than enough of that bastard for a lifetime.”

But David glances to Snow, and Regina doesn’t have to see the vampire’s face to know that she thinks he ought to answer it, so he does. “Are you serious?” she demands over the start of the call. Snow shushes her.

“ _ There’s been an attack _ ,” Arthur says on the other end of the phone, and David, still bleeding from his arm, scoffs. 

“Yeah…”

“ _ We’re worried you’re next.” _

“Next?” 

_ “You need to find Emma immediately. We’ve been played,”  _ Arthur says seriously, and Regina has to cover her mouth to keep from barking out a laugh.

“Yeah, no shit,” David laughs.

“ _ David _ \--”

But David hangs up. He and Regina share looks of disbelief, but Snow still looks skeptical. “What attack were they talking about if it wasn’t  _ this _ one? Was he referring to Gold or--”

“If there was an attack on them elsewhere, by Rumple’s squad, then we need to take advantage of their numbers being down,” Regina says. “We need to plan an attack. Kill Rumple before the Master can rise.”

“Regina…” Snow starts.

“It’s crazy, yes, but we have to try. I’ll plan this by myself if I have to, but this is ending today.”

Everyone is silent for a long moment. Snow is the first to agree. “I’m with you.”

“Me too,” David nods. 

They decide to load up on weapons and then storm into the basement. Snow, August and Ruby in the lead. August is going to be ready with a force field if anything goes wrong. Snow will be going after Rumple with Ruby behind her, while David and Neal stand back, holding off any stragglers who get in the way. Regina’s role is solely Emma based. Her job is to keep Emma out of the way. If she’s there at all, Regina is to get her to safety where they’ll be able to keep her around until they get a chance to restore her soul. 

It’s a flimsy plan at best, especially because they’re banking on the assumption that a majority of the opposing group are off attacking the council in New York, but it seems  _ right _ .

They’ve just descended the basement stairs when that changes.

Rumple is suddenly  _ there _ like he’d been waiting for them, and somehow none of them try to fight him, like he’s using some kind of magic to prevent them from doing so. All they can do is stand helplessly while he tells them what they never hoped to hear. “The Master will rise soon, and you won’t be able to stop her,” he giggles as he slips into the darkness.

The thoughts of the lair slip from their minds seconds later, but Rumple’s choice of words doesn’t.  _ Her? _

“Her? Does that mean…”

“The Master is a woman?”

“Oh my god, what if it’s  _ Emma _ ?”

“No…” Regina says, but Snow speaks over her.

“The Master is someone who’s  _ died, _ remember? Emma’s still alive…”

“Yeah, but the Anointed is supposed to lead her to hell…” Neal points out. “What if their plan all along was to kill her and have her rise back as the Master?” He shoots Regina an apologetic look as he shudders but looks away before she shakes her head.

Snow shakes her head too. “Well, let’s think. Who are some powerful vampire women we know who’ve been killed?”

_ Cora. _

_ Cora. _

_ Cora. _

Regina refuses to believe that’s the case, so she steps away before anyone can ask her opinion on it. They all throw out options, but her mother’s name doesn’t come up, not that she hears anyway. She ducks around the corner and follows a path from the basement into a crypt near her place.

She hasn’t been there in so long, and amid all this insanity, she can’t imagine being anywhere else. It’s as if they’d figured out almost all of it, had one piece left, but before they could fill it in, it all came toppling back down, putting them at square one again or even further back.

It’s hardly nighttime, but it’s dark enough for Regina to walk down the street without worrying about her safety. The light from the sun is only a faint glow across the skyline, and Regina appreciates it as she makes her way home, wishing Emma were there to see it with her. She hopes that sometime soon, whatever plan the Apprentice had would be enacted, and Emma would come back to her.

She won’t get her hopes up again.

When she gets home, it’s to find that her front door is unlocked, even though she distinctly remembers locking it. The spare key that Emma had was left in Snow and David’s home, and Regina had made sure they had put it someplace where soulless Emma wouldn’t find it and use against her. She’d only worried about the lock for a moment though, because as she opens the door, she’s filled with immediate warmth, the apartment feeling more alive than it had since everything happened… maybe even  _ ever _ , and that’s when it hits her.

Emma is  _ here _ . 

She can smell her and she can hear her heart beating, but there’s something else. It’s more faint, and Regina slips through the apartment, ascending the stairs with caution until she’s standing in her bedroom doorway, looking at Emma’s back, her golden curls hanging down her shoulders, longer and brighter than she’d ever seen them, and it’s just before Emma turns around that she hears the second heartbeat.

Emma beams at her, a smile so bright and proud that it makes Regina’s heart soar, but her eyes are on the little bundle in her girlfriend’s arms, and it’s like time stops. 

“Mommy’s home,” Emma coos before walking to Regina. She places a soft hand against her cheek and leans in, her lips lingering against Regina’s, and it’s like nothing has changed, except that  _ everything _ has changed. Emma’s soul is obviously back. But  _ how _ ? What just happened? “Henry’s been really good today,” the blonde says, smiling down at the infant.

_ Henry _ . 

Regina just stares at Emma, glances down at the baby, at  _ Henry _ , and she can’t help but feel like something is a little off, like she’s missed something huge, but the feeling is gone quicker than it arrived, and she smiles at her family, not a worry to be had.

  
  


(If only she knew)

  
  
  


_ to be continued…  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah! There’s that! A happy ending with exactly zero closure! Stay tuned for the sequel, and be sure to subscribe to the series because I don’t have any idea when it’s gonna be posted. OR follow me on twitter bc I share all my updates there (gaypanic_). thanks for the support! tell me your thoughts if you feel so inclined! I could definitely use the encouragement.


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